Supremely Natural
by Brandolyn
Summary: When John Winchester saved the life of a young girl named Baileigh Wyatt, he had no idea how important she'd eventually be to his boys; especially Dean. Read this story to learn how long their lives have been intertwined. *Dean rage n feels included*
1. Chapter 1- The Break-In

_Lebannon, Kansas-_ _ **January 1st 2015**_

Sam and Dean moved slowly through the darkened bunker. Silently, they searched room by room, looking for any sign of movement. Dean tried to keep his deep voice steady as he called out, "Baileigh! Sarah!" Receiving no answer, his flashlight flicked into the next room. There was a rumble in his chest before he called out again, "Come on girls, shout if you can hear me!"

Through the empty halls of the Men of Letters bunker a panicked and muffled scream of "DEAN!" followed by an extended and desperate plea of "NOOOOO!" finally reverberated off the tiles around them. The scream forced the brothers to race down the halls to the library. In the darkness Sam couldn't see the look on his brother's face, but if he could have he would have seen a look of stubborn determination and unyielding fury.

Desperate, Dean whispered for Sam as they approached the steps to the library.

"I know Dean. We'll get them." Sam tried to be as reassuring as possible. His effort was wasted as a child's shriek of terror froze the Winchesters.

Dean's heart seized. "Sarah!" he shouted, bolting forward, leaving Sam behind. His flashlight flicked around the library searching desperately for her. "Sarah!" he screamed again. But there was no sign of her or whatever grabbed her.

"Outside!" Sam shouted hearing the old, heavy metal door to the bunker close. Dean led the way taking the stairs three at a time as they raced out of the bunker. The heavy door opened onto the road just in time to see the silhouettes of several figures running through the shadows of the trees behind the Men of Letters hideout.

Racing after them, Dean skidded to a halt when Sam cried out behind him, "DEAN! WAIT!"

Sam's flashlight was illuminating the body of a young girl sprawled out on the asphalt in a pool of blood.

"NO!" Dean's voice echoed through the trees as he ran as fast as he could back to her side. "No, no, no, no baby girl." He slid to her side and patted her cheek trying to wake her. "Come on sweetheart, Sarah stay with me." When the young girl didn't open her eyes he shouted for his brother's help. But Sam was already at his side.

Sam had two fingers pressed to the side of Sarah's neck, just above a bloody cut at her throat. He waited and counted. Sam shook his head; he couldn't find her pulse.

"Well do something!" Dean demanded. Sam shouldered him out of the way and started CPR. Dean watched Sam compress Sarah's chest with a look halfway between heartbreak and fear. He sat on the wet asphalt in silence, ignoring the rain and the crashing of thunder in the distance. His eyes were focused on Sarah's round face, waiting for her to breathe and open her eyes.

A scream in the woods pulled Dean's attention away from Sarah for a second. It was Baileigh.

"I've got this Dean. Go," Sam panted.

"No," Dean refused. His hands were balled into fists, grinding his knuckles into the rough asphalt. As another scream scared birds from the trees at his back, Dean pressed his fists into the ground and shaved off a layer of skin.

"Go Dean, I won't leave her. I swear." Sam assured him. Rain mixed with the sweat on his brow as he continued CPR on the young girl. A gentle hand rested on Sarah's forehead for a moment before Dean got up and ran into the trees after her mother.


	2. Chapter 2- Christmas in Nebraska

_Broken Bow, Nebraska_ _-_ ** _December 21st_** ** _1991 **S3E8 A Very Supernatural Christmas**_**

Hunting is a terrible thing.

It's a good feeling to know that you have saved the world from another monster but all the world-saving can get messy; both physically and emotionally. When monsters leave behind survivors Hunters are happy to have saved a life, but sad that that life just got a whole lot messier.

Dressed in his regular leather jacket and faded blue jeans, John Winchester ran a hand over his stubble covered face; it was much later than five o'clock and his jaw was covered in far more than a 'shadow'. He felt his fingers smear blood on his cheek and quickly tried to brush it off on a sleeve. The winter night was dark but John didn't feel the cold. Blood thundered in his ears and adrenaline pounded in his heart as he walked back to the site of a car crash, leaving the bodies of three vampires in the snow behind him. The rest of the nest had run off before he could catch them.

Several yards away a car had swerved off the road, skidded down a hill and crashed into the trunk of a tree. The two passengers; a man and woman had survived the crash, until the vampires John had been tracking found them dazed and restrained. He had happened upon them mid-way through their feeding and had chased them away in time to save the couple.

He raced back to the smoking car, his machete still in-hand as sirens sounded in the distance. As the car came into view between the snowy trees John noticed something was wrong. The snow covered ground around the car was now red with blood.

He didn't have to lean into the car to see that the couple inside were dead. They had survived a severe car crash and a vampire attack only to be killed in their car by, what appeared to be, wild animals. He was still so surprised by the gory scene in front of him that he almost didn't react when sirens stopped nearby and voices carrying stretchers down the hill approached. He tried to wipe most of the blood from his face and hands and tucked the machete into the back of his jacket before he turned and yelled for the paramedics like a frightened witness.

"Down here! Help! They need help!" He waved the paramedics and sheriffs closer. "I heard the crash. But I didn't get here fast enough. There's so much blood!" He blathered. John hunched his shoulders, making him look slightly shorter and less intimidating than normal. He made sure the paramedics saw the tremor in his hands before he stuffed them in his pockets and turned to the police, as if looking for security.

The police and paramedics looked at the car and its victims hopelessly. There was nothing the paramedics could do except remove the pair from the wreckage and drive them away.

"Did you see what attacked them?" One sheriff asked.

John shook his head. "No, or I bet I'd have been desert." He chuckled uncomfortably looking away from the car. He threw in the awkward joke to sell the hysteric witness story, and pointed in the opposite direction from where he had followed the vampires and killed them. "But I've seen a bear or two in that direction before. But, I've never seen Bears so close to the road before."

The sheriff nodded. "And your name Sir?"

"Wayne, Bruce. I live just down the road." He pointed away, faking a route home. The sheriff looked at him disbelieving as he jotted down his name. John shrugged. "My parents weren't original thinkers."

As John climbed the short distance up to the road he noticed the ambulance was parked right beside his jet black Chevrolet Impala. As he opened the door and got into his car John overheard one of the officers talking with the paramedics. "I'm off to the house. The kids are probably asleep, but the babysitter needs to go home and Child Protective Services can take over for the rest of the night."

"Poor kids. Their parents go out for some last minute Christmas shopping and then this." One of the paramedics said sadly.

"Those kids barely have any family left." The second paramedic said closing the back door to the ambulance.

John waited for the ambulance to leave and then followed the sheriff's cruiser at a distance back into town. John noted the house that the cruiser drove up to and drove on, leaving the sheriff to do his job.

An hour later John returned and snuck into the darkened, empty house.

The house was fully decorated for the holidays; a twinkling tree stood by the bay window and the smell of cinnamon, cranberries and poinsettias over powered the living room. A red and gold decorated wreath hung above the fireplace. On the mantel, between the 4 hanging stockings labelled Mom, Dad, Baileigh and Ryan, were half a dozen model cars. A small picture frame on the end of the mantel showed the family smiling widely, dressed in red sweaters and silly hats. A caption read, _Happy Holidays '91 from the Wyatt family xoxo_

He couldn't look at the happy image long. He checked his watch and thought of his boys- hopefully Dean had remembered to feed Sam today. He used the house phone to call the motel. He let it ring once and hung up. He waited 30 seconds and called back. Unsurprisingly, Dean picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Dean-o. I'm just tying up loose ends here but I'll be back before Christmas. I promise. Say hi to Sam for me." And hung up quickly before the boys could fight over the phone. He looked around the festive living room and wondered briefly if his house would have looked the same if the yellow eyed demon hadn't killed the mother of his children. He shook the memory of holidays with Mary and a young Dean from his head and kept looking around the house for anything out of the ordinary. The Wyatt's house was ghost free, demon free, curse free and there was no indication that the vampires had even been hunting this family. He sighed relieved, locked the door behind him and returned to the Impala.

He should have started the engine and returned to the motel where his sons were waiting re-watching the same three Christmas specials on TV, but John couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Maybe it was that there was nothing at the house, or that the parents had been mauled by wild animals after a vampire attack, or that some of the vampires had gotten away. But either way, instead of going to see his boys on the days leading up to Christmas, John drove to the nearest motel and settled in for the night.

 _Broken Bow, Nebraska_ _-_ ** _December 24_** ** _th_** ** _1991_**

In the days that followed, the talk of the town was the latest tragedy to befall the Wyatt family. John sipped a coffee and quietly listened to the conversations unfold around him. He found one particularly chatty server in a small diner and charmed almost all of the important information he could out of her.

"Oh heck everyone knows their story! Accident after accident until it was no more than M. n' Mrs. Wyatt, his sister and her husband and the kids. I think there's one great grandparent or something somewhere, but they aren't close. And now it's just the poor little devils and their aunt n' uncle, who are on a cruise and won't make it back until after the Holidays."

"What'll happen to the kids until then?"

"Oh, child services has put them up with a good friend of mine. Ruth doesn't have any family either, so she's got all the time in the world for Ryan and Baileigh over the Holidays. But, hey now, where's your family?" She asked, noticing for the first time that John was sitting alone on Christmas Eve.

"I'm actually on my way to see them." He said, taking the last sip of his coffee and leaving cash on the table for her.

"Merry Christmas!" She called after him.

The Sun was thinking about setting when the Impala rumbled into the parking lot of the motel where John had left Sam and Dean. The light was on in their room and he saw the flicker from the TV across the lot. He smiled to himself as the wiper blades pushed white fluffy snowflakes from the windshield. His hand hovered over the parking break as his gut churned and his mind thought back to Ryan and Baileigh. It was Christmas Eve and he wanted to spend it with his sons, but there was still a vampire or two in town that could ruin the holidays for another family. Instead of putting the car in park, John slid the car into reverse and headed back on the hunt.

His persistence paid off several hours later when he was standing in the middle of an old woman's kitchen covered in blood with two headless bodies lying at his feet. The body of the owner of the house was in the living room with the body of a young boy and a third decapitated vampire. John wiped his brow on his sleeve. "You okay?" He asked without turning. A little squeak answered him. He looked over his shoulder at a young girl with wavy light brown hair; she couldn't be any older than Dean. Both hands were white knuckled on the handle of the kitchen knife that shook in her grip. John placed his blood soaked blade on the counter and kneeled to face the girl.

He introduced himself. "I'm John. What's your name?"

"B-b-b-leee," she stuttered through her body's nervous shakes.

"They're all gone now _Lee,_ " he said trying to lighten the mood. "You're safe now, that's the last of them. But I need you to be very brave for me right now. Can you do that?"

"Yes," she replied. For a young girl who had lost both parents and her younger brother in the span of a few days, John was incredibly impressed with Baileigh's ability to focus. She gathered all of her will power and nodded, still keeping tears from her eyes.

"First, I need you to let go of the knife in your hands. Good." He tossed the kitchen knife away and turned back to Baileigh. "Next, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You can't tell anyone I was here," -he explained briefly about vampires, and being a Hunter and the need for secrecy- "I'll stay here while you call the sheriff, then I have to leave." He pulled a card from his wallet. "If you ever need more help, just call this number. Ask for John Winchester. And remember, no matter how many times the guy on the phone tells you I don't exist, you insist until you hear from me. Got it?" Baileigh looked up at John and nodded still frightened. "You are going to have to be very brave from now on. I'm sorry, but your life just got a whole lot tougher." Again she nodded. He put a large hand on her shoulder, "Ok Lee, it's time to call the Sheriff."

It was early morning on December 25th before John got back to the motel where he had left his sons. Both Sam and Dean were asleep when he got in. The TV was still on; showing Frosty the Snowman, there was a makeshift tree in the corner, food wrappers and wrapping paper strewn over the couch and his boys were fast asleep on one of the beds, still in their day clothes. John smiled to himself, it wasn't much of a home, but it felt right. He dropped a couple presents under Dean's makeshift tree- for the boys when they woke up- and stretched out on the couch to catch a few hours of sleep after several messy days of hunting.


	3. Chapter 3- Right Place, Right Paramedic

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota_ \- **_September 2006_** ** _**S2E1 In my Time of Dying**_**

"I just need some coffee," Baileigh said, shuffling her feet into the diner. The regulars turned and followed her and her partner Melody as they walked in wearing their bright blue uniforms. They still had their stethoscopes draped around their necks, and Baileigh had a little splash of vomit on her chest. She cringed when her partner pointed it out. "Gross! Why can't anyone vomit in the bucket we give them?" She sneered. The women sat in a booth close to a window and tried to ignore the big square ambulance parked outside that had been holding them captive for the past 10 hours.

A plump middle aged waitress in a burgundy uniform that matched the leather upholstery approached their table and pulled out a pad of paper. "What can I get for you y'all?"

"Two coffees please." Melody answered pulling her dark hair into a pony tail. "One decaf,"

Across the table Baileigh added with a yawn, "And can you make mine with extra milk, a splash of coke, topped with whipped cream, a lime wedge and some cinnamon?" Across the table Melody cleared her throat and Baileigh added, "Please?" She tried smiling, a wide smile that would normally crinkle the edges of her eyes, but she was so close to sleep that her eyes were nearly shut already.

"Alright…" The waitress said a little put-off by the odd request, and sauntered off. She returned a couple minutes later and placed two cups of coffee on the table. "One decaf, and a…" she regarded Baileigh's caffeinated concoction with a slight sneer and walked away without another word. Baileigh took a sip of her 'coffee' and sighed happily.

Her partner teased, "How can you even call that coffee? There's barely any coffee in it!"

"Fine, call it 'mojo juice' whatever, it doesn't matter." Baileigh shook her head. "It always does the trick." She took another sip and looked over to her best friend wiggling her eyebrows. "It also does wonders as a hangover cure."

Melody laughed. "I don't care how sick I am, you are not getting me to drink _that_." Their laughter was interrupted by the screeching of their walkie-talkies.

 _"Bus 107."_ The radio echoed.

"107 here," Melody replied. Baileigh tossed back the last of her coffee desperate to finish every last drop.

"We just got a call of a tractor trailer that hit the passenger side of another vehicle. A witness says there are three unconscious adults males in the car. The truck driver is responsive and mobile. Helicopters will meet you for extraction."

Baileigh and Melody left money on the table under their mugs to cover the bill and ran to their ambulance as the dispatcher gave them directions.

"I hate car crashes" Baileigh sighed as Melody climed into the driver's seat and slammed her door shut.

"I know." Melody nodded.

The sirens wailed as the ambulance raced to the crash site. When the truck and car came into view Melody released a heavy sigh, "Oh Baileigh. You're going to want to cover your eyes for this one."

"Is it bad?" She asked, covering her face.

"Yeah. The car didn't stand a chance."

"Please tell me it's not a classic," Baileigh pleaded, peeking through her fingers as they approached.

"I wish I could hun," Melody said as they pulled up and turned off the sirens.

"Poor baby." Baileigh said looking at the mangled wreckage of the classic black car. But the moment she opened her door and jumped out of the ambulance, she put all thoughts of the car from her mind and got to work trying to save the lives of the men inside.

Melody stabilized the young man in the back of the car first, while Baileigh took care of the passenger in the front seat.

"These guys look like they've been through much more than a car crash!" Melody gasped, strapping the young man from the back of the car to a stretcher and examining the wounds to his chest and abdomen.

"I've got a gunshot wound here!" Baileigh was about to radio for police when something about the dark stubble on his bloody face made her gasp. "John?" His eyes opened slightly. His eyes couldn't find her as they struggled to focus. She tried to talk to him, but he didn't seem to hear anything.

"My boys... Save my boys first," he mumbled.

"Ok John, just let me get you stabilized," she said. The medical helicopters arrived with bright lights overhead and the whirring of the propellers made it difficult to hear anything on the ground.

"Sam," he called trying to look around.

"John, don't move," she said seriously.

"Dean!" he shouted, checking the rear view mirror to find an empty seat where Dean had been sitting.

"John! That's enough. Look at me." Baileigh's voice commanded his attention. "You have been in a car crash, and I need you to listen to me." She continued when John settled. "One of your boys is already on the way to the helicopter. The other is right beside you. It looks like you have a gunshot wound and a dislocated shoulder, _but_ I'm going to get your other son into the helicopter first, and then come back for you alright? But you have to stay still until then. Got it?"

"Yes." John croaked. He was dizzy and only mildly aware of what he was agreeing to. He lost consciousness as two men jumped out of the helicopter to help get him out of the car.

The site of the crash was just unintelligible noise: helicopters, ambulance sirens, dispatchers calling out over walkie-talkies and paramedics shouting to be heard over everything else. Sam's voice was barely audible over the racket when he called out looking for answers. He fought Melody and Baileigh as they got him out of the car and strapped onto the stretcher. Even in a neck brace Sam tried to look around for his brother and father.

"Tell me if they're okay!" Sam pleaded.

"You have to stay still," Baileigh scolded.

"Are they even alive?" Desperation coated his words as he fought against the restraints to see a glimpse of Dean or John. Baileigh forced him to lie back down and with Melody's help got Sam loaded and strapped into the nearest helicopter.

"God, they'll be lucky if they can close the door without touching this guy's toes," Melody snickered as they hopped out of the chopper to make room for the men carrying John.

They grabbed the stretcher with the truck driver and lifted him easily into the back of their ambulance. His injuries weren't bad enough to warrant another helicopter. "Were those other guys made of rocks? 'Cause lifting this guy is like lifting a box of kittens." Melody laughed at her own joke.

"Focus," Baileigh warned as Melody closed the back doors and ran around to hop back in the driver's seat.

"I'm only joking. You know that," she said as the sirens started to wail again. The ambulance sped off to the nearest hospital.

"Yeah." Baileigh sighed as she monitored the truck driver's vitals.

"What's wrong? Isn't your mojo juice working? Or was it the car?"

"It's the father in that car, he... he saved my life when I was little," she said quietly. Melody stayed silent for a while.

"Then it's a really good thing we're the ones who got to them first."

"What do you mean?" Baileigh looked to the driver's seat for an answer but found in empty.

"We're the best," Melody said opening the back doors to the ambulance. Baileigh couldn't believe they were stopped already, let alone at the Hospital. Doctors and nurses peeked into the back of the truck at her and Baileigh jumped back into work mode. She started barking directions to everyone and unloaded the truck driver quickly.

Once their patient was inside, safely in the hands of Doctors, Melody grinned at Baileigh and nudged her in the side. "Come on. Smile. We did good!"

"Well, Mel. We did _well_." Baileigh grimaced while correcting her grammar.

"Whatever. Pretend that I annoy you all you want, but you're going to miss me."

"Miss you? When?" Baileigh waited for an answer as they climbed back into the front of the ambulance to park the ambulance for end of their shift.

As off hand as if she were saying she had the hiccup, Melody said, "I'm pregnant. So you'll be riding with someone else after I have the baby."

caught off guard, but finally feeling the effects of her mojo juice, Baileigh exclaimed, "That's amazing!"

"I'm glad my temporary absence is bringing you such joy."

"Well, I could use the break." Baileigh winked as they parked and went inside to clock out.

After grabbing their bags and heading back to their car, Melody continued, "But I don't know who else is going to warn you when a pretty car gets smooshed?"

"Shhh. He'll hear you." Baileigh scolded spinning her car keys on one finger as they approached the parking lot. She stopped in front of her most prized possession, a bright blue 1970's Chevrolet Chevelle SS with white racing stripes. She ran a hand delicately over the hood of the car before getting in. "She doesn't mean it. Nothing happened," she whispered.

"You talk about your car like you should talk to your boyfriend."

"I'd have to have a boyfriend before I could talk to him."

"That's your own fault. You've set ridiculous standards," Melody said climbing into the passenger's seat.

"No I don't."

"You make men fix your car on the first date!" she scoffed.

" _I do not_!" Baileigh shuddered. "I ask them _how_ they would fix my car. If they answer wrong, the date's over."

 *****30 minutes later*****

Baileigh dropped Melody off at her house, went home to shower quickly- without bothering to dry her hair, changed into blue jeans and a grey hooded sweat shirt and drove back to the hospital to check on John Winchester.

She found his room easily and hovered in the doorway with her hands tucked into the front pockets of her jeans as she gathered the courage to say hi.

"Hey stranger," she said, clearing her throat and taking a step into John's room.

"Hi Lee," John replied with a scratchy voice. The nickname reawakened a spot in her chest which warmed her soul as she talked to John. She'd spent so many years alone, and poured herself into work so completely, that she had forgotten what it was like to have history with someone; it was refreshing and wonderful. She poured him a cup of water before she asked any other questions.

"How are you?"

"Been worse, thanks to you," John croaked.

"I didn't think you'd recognize me."

"Don't take this the wrong way Lee, but I've been checking up on you." John cracked a small, crooked smile.

"Were those your boys?" Baileigh asked, abruptly changing the topic of conversation as her cheeks flushed. He pointed to the wheelchair in the corner of the room. She helped him out of bed and pushed him down the hall to Dean's room.

Pointing to each of his sons John said, "Sam's younger, he's asleep in the chair. Dean's in the bed."

"How are they?"

"You tell me." He held out a hand inviting her to read Dean's chart. She looked at the screens of the machines surrounding Dean and read the printouts beside his bed. She bit her lip and nodded. Baileigh stayed quiet as she moved back to John. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he replied. "Can you take me back to my room? I need to think."

"Of course." Baileigh helped John back into his bed and returned to Dean's room where Sam was still asleep in his chair. She wasn't sure why she came back, but Baileigh didn't want to leave. Reluctant to interrupt the sleeping brothers, Baileigh took a seat against the wall in front of Dean's room, pulled her hood up over her still-damp hair and waited, chewing on her finger nails as she watched over the younger Winchesters until she fell sleep. No one approached her as she slept in the hallway, no one woke her to ask her to move, and, as usual, no one even noticed she was there.

The beeping of a code blue woke Baileigh a few hours later. It took a moment for her to remember where she was until she saw the back of John's wheelchair sitting beside Dean's bed. Removing her hood, Baileigh watched for a moment as John stared silently at Dean, still lying unconscious.

Again, wanting to give John privacy as he had a moment with his son, Baileigh wandered off to the cafeteria. By the time she ate and returned to her spot on the floor in front of Dean's room John had left.

Baileigh peeked into Dean's room and was relieved to find it empty for a moment. She was about to go in when she recognized Sam marching down the hall, headed for John's room.

Seizing her opportunity while John and Sam were busy, Baileigh ducked into Dean's room. Baileigh stood awkwardly looking at a man she didn't know, wondering why she was there, until she heard shouting from John's room. Immediately Baileigh started speaking softly to Dean, hoping to drown out the other Winchester voices down the hall. "Don't worry. People fight when they're scared. I see it every day." She sighs. "They aren't made at you, they just want you to be safe and they're worried." She took a seat on the edge of Sam's chair and spokes very softly, close to Dean's ear, "So, if you still have any fight left in you, it's time to put the gloves on, get in the ring and start throwing punches." She reached out and touched his hand, holding it gently. "Your father saved me once. I only wish there was more I could do for you."

Beeping and alarm bells chimed as the heart rate monitor flat lined.

"No," she gasped. "Help! Code blue!" Baileigh slammed a fist into the code button before backing out into the hall as a Doctor and nurses with a crash cart raced into the room. Bailiegh watched from the hallway as the nurses pulled back his hospital gown and applied the defibrillator paddles.

"Clear!" the Doctor called. The nursing staff stepped back as Dean received his first shock, then his second, followed shortly by a third. Baileigh was only dully aware of Sam's appearance in the doorway as she focused on the Doctor's voice. "No change. Starting CPR," he said. She counted the compressions with him until the beeps of the machines changed and a nurse confirmed,

"I have a pulse. He's back to normal sinus rhythm."

Sam's long legs crumpled beneath him in relief. Baileigh rushed forward and helped Sam sit up. She grabbed a juice from her cafeteria lunch and handed it to him. "Drink," she instructed. She rubbed large circles on his back repeating, "It's okay. He's alive. It's alright. They got him back." She wasn't even sure that Sam noticed she- a stranger- was there helping him. He stood abruptly, and without more than a nod in her direction, Sam returned to his seat at his brother's side.

Alone once again in the middle of the hospital hallway Baileigh wandered over to John's room. She had intended to reassure him that Dean was still alive, but when she opened the door to his room she found his bed empty.

Unable to fend off sleep any longer, Baileigh fell asleep on the floor in the same spot in the hallway and snored softly. Code blue alarms, laughing nursing staff, even a clumsy kid that tripped over her foot didn't wake her, until she heard someone nearby screaming for help.

Baileigh's eyes sprang open as adrenaline forced her to her feet. Her eyes searched for the source of the screams and noticed Dean's eyes were open and he was choking on his breathing tube. Two long strides brought her back into his room where she swiftly pulled the tube from his throat before any of the hospital staff arrived. She dodged passed Sam out of the room as nurses hurried in.

"John! He's awake. Dean's awake!" she called cheerily, but his room was still empty. _This hospital isn't that big. Where could he be?_ She wondered racing off, to find him and tell him the good news.

Baileigh returned to the Winchester's hallway hoping that somehow John had heard about Dean and gone to visit him. But John wasn't in Dean's room, and neither were either of his sons. The Winchester boys were taking up the doorway of a nearby room clinging to each other for support. She approached slowly. Standing on the tips of her toes Baileigh saw John inside, lying on a bed, shirt open, being shocked by a defibrillator. _No!_ she thought, _Not now!_

"Ok, I'll call it. Time of death 10:41AM." The Doctor's voice buzzed in her mind. She heard time of death all the time; almost every day, and yet this time she was overcome with grief at those words. As Dean and Sam stared at their father's body in disbelief, neither of them noticed Baileigh, the stranger who had been watching over them, fall to the ground behind them, screaming a soundless scream.

John Winchester was gone.

One of the few people left who actually cared about her and knew her when she was little, was gone and there was no one to comfort her. There was no one to call, and no one to drive her home; Melody would, of course, but she was busy with her own family, and Baileigh would never ask.

In the blink of an eye Baileigh Wyatt was alone, with no history with no one to look out for her. Again.


	4. Chapter 4- Hunted

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota-_ _ **September 2007**_

"Look who's here!" Timothy said in a soft voice as Baileigh closed her car door and marched up the walk toward him and the pink clad baby in his arms. He used a couple fingers to move the little girl's hand to wave 'hello'. "It's aunt Baileigh!" he said in his excited baby voice. The baby loved the greeting and responded with delighted giggles.

"Hi Sarah," Baileigh replied with a big smile and open arms. Timothy passed over the baby and let Baileigh faun over her while he held the door open for them. Baileigh kicked off her shoes in the front hall and led Tim into the living room without taking her eyes away from Sarah's smiling face. Realizing she hadn't actually said hello to him yet, Baileigh kissed Tim on the cheek and said a quick 'hello' before sitting on the couch and lowering Sarah to her lap.

"Melody's still getting ready. She'll be down in a minute," Tim said checking his watch.

The delicate click of high heels on hardwood floors preceded Melody down the stairs. Baileigh turned as Melody entered the room and pouted, "When do I get a date night with Mel? You live with her," she looked to Timothy to drive home her point, "you see her every day. I only see her for a second when I come over and babysit."

"And every Friday for dinner," Melody added- she put no effort into keeping the sass from her voice.

"Yeah, with _h_ _im_." Baileigh winks at Tim who was pretending to be offended on the opposite couch.

"I miss you too," Mel said hugging Baileigh around the shoulders over the back of the couch. "Thanks for watching over our little girl."

"Anytime." Baileigh raised Sarah over her head so that Melody could plant a wet kiss on her forehead. Tim too got up and kissed his daughter goodbye and then looked at his wife skeptically.

"You look lovely, but we're going to a drive-in movie. Are you sure you want to wear heels?"

Mel rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Tim here." Baileigh pulled the keys to her Chevelle from her pocket and tossed them to Tim who caught them in the air. "You can't drive a minivan to a drive-in. Besides," she explained to the pair of wide eyes and open mouths staring at her, " _he"_ she said referring to her car, "hasn't been on a date in ages." Melody mouthed, _Are you sure?_ As Tim's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Have a great night." Baileigh smiled.

"I love you baby!" Melody called from the front door.

"Do you want to bring a jacket?" Tim added as he opened the front door.

"I'll be fine," Melody assured him.

"I left my coat in the car. Use it if you need it!" Baileigh called after them as they closed and locked the door behind them. "It's just you and me now," she whispered to Sarah, tickling her tummy.

A couple hours later, Baileigh's phone buzzed. **Unknown caller** ** _._** "Hello?" she answered.

"Good evening Ms. Wyatt, it's Sheriff Mills here. I found your car."

"My car isn't missing," Baileigh assured the Sheriff.

"Check your driveway honey. I've double checked the plates, it's yours," Sheriff Mills said dryly.

"It can't be. Tim and Melody have my car. It's date night so I let them take it."

"Oh." The Sheriff's voice changed as she put a hand over the receiver. Baileigh could only hear muffled noises as the Sheriff talked quickly with a co-worker. "I'm babysitting for them. Are they okay?" Baileigh interrupted.

"There's no sign that anyone was in the car when it was stolen. Just a smashed window where the thief broke in, it probably happened where they went to dinner."

"No. They didn't go for dinner, they went to a drive-in movie. They should be in that car! Sheriff, where are they?" Sounds of a wailing baby drifted down the stairs as Baileigh shouted into her phone.

"Ms. Wyatt I'm looking into it. I'll call you when I know something." **Click**.

Baileigh raced up the stairs two at a time. She picked up Sarah and rocked her back and forth as she pressed **#1** **'Mel-nerd-y'** on her speed dial. The phone rang out before going to voicemail. Baileigh kept her voice as composed as possible as she left her message. "Hey, I don't know where you are- hopefully at a motel somewhere making Sarah a little sister- but when you get this call me back. The Sheriff just found my car on the highway, says someone stole it. Look I'm not worried about the car, just call and let me know you're alright."

Sarah calmed down in her arms. But Baileigh couldn't shake a terrible feeling. She texted Melody, and then Tim just to be safe, **Where are you? The Sheriff found my car and is looking for you.** Biting her lip Baileigh looked down at Sarah's comforting face sleeping on her shoulder. "You're right. Everything's fine. Your Mom and Dad will be home soon."

 ***In a deserted old cabin in the woods off the highway***

"Stop lying!" Spat a thin, pale woman with greasy black hair and a sleeve of tattoos covering her left arm. She was yelling at a man and a woman; both gagged and tied with their hands above their heads, hanging from hooks in the rafters. The pair struggled and she yelled again, "Stop moving! The boss is already on the way. It won't be long now."

A broad shouldered bald man, with thin hollow cheeks sat backwards on a chair facing the captive couple. "He's been dying to see you again Ms. Wyatt. And this time there's no one coming to save you."

The pair looked at each other through watery eyes, but stayed quiet. Tears trickled down the woman's face.

"Don't cry," the bald man said, "He's been hunting you a very long time." He turned to the dark haired man beside the hanging woman, "You're just _extra_." The tattooed woman at his side laughed. There was a knock at the door and a third person; another woman with bushy dark hair held open the door for an athletically built man to stride into the cabin. The captors all averted their gaze, but looked greedily to the gagged pair as the newcomer passed.

"You've grown up since the last time we met," the newcomer said as he approached. He leaned close to the woman's face and smelled her jacket. His eyes rolled to the back of his head in ecstacy. With his face so close to hers, the gagged woman saw a second set of pointy teeth descended from his gums and struggled to get away screaming into her gag as his jaw closed on her neck. She didn't have to struggle long as the vampire released her and turned on the others licking his lips tasting her blood. "Is this some sort of stupid joke? Where is she?"

The bald man and the two women looked at each other confused. The vampire grabbed his captive's purse, ignoring her sobs behind him and the cries of the man hanging next to her, and emptied the contents of the purse onto the floor. He pulled her ID from the leather wallet. It read **Melody Eva Birk**. "You idiots brought me the wrong woman!" He roared. "Cut them down." The bald man raced forward and untied their arms.

Melody and Tim held each other tight as soon as they were free of their restraints, still watching the monster wearily. The vampire turned on the bald man pulling a knife from his belt and slicing his throat in one swift movement. He hissed at the women who ran from the house immediately.

Melody was sobbing again unable to pull her eyes away from the man bleeding out on the floor in front of her.

"Sorry my pets dragged you needlessly into this," he shrugged his shoulders, "I would have loved to let you go, but I was anticipating a snack."

 ***Down the road***

Scenting dogs led Sheriff Mills to a path through the trees that led to an old cabin where she found three bodies. One of the Sheriff's co-workers said, "Looks like a mugging gone wrong," as he made notes on his pad of paper.

 ***Back at the Birk's house***

Baileigh watched from the living room window as a cruiser pulled up to the house around **1:00 AM**. TShe had left the light's on inside the Birk's home and met the Sheriff at the door to avoid waking Sarah with the doorbell.

"May I come in?" The Sheriff asked speaking softly; she knew there was a sleeping baby in the house. Baileigh didn't say a word, her throat felt too tight to speak but she stepped back to let the Sheriff inside. Sheriff Mills didn't take a seat or suggest that Baileigh take one herself; but she had removed her hat before she entered the house. _Uh oh,_ Baileigh thought. "We found M. and Mrs. Birk." The old memory of John Winchester's deep voice echoed in Baileigh's head, ' _You're going to have to be very brave now.'_ She nodded and let the Sheriff continue. "I'm so sorry for your loss Baileigh."

The air rushed from Baileigh's chest leaving her winded, as if she'd be hit in the gut with a baseball bat. She took a moment to remember how to breathe before she looked back at the Sheriff. "Alright," she said.

When Sarah was born Baileigh had urged Melody and Tim to name a 'legal guardian in case of sudden death' in their Will. They had thought she was joking until she explained that she had been forced to live with a senile great aunt after her parents had died, all because they had never updated their Will. They rewrote their Will the next day naming Baileigh-with her consent- Sarah's Godmother and legal guardian in case... _in case she was ever orphaned, in case anything as tragic as my own childhood ever happened to Sarah, in case anything terrible and unforgettable ever happened, in case of nights like tonight._ Baileigh thanked the Sheriff and pointed her to the door.

"Call me if you need anything."

In a daze, unable to grasp the situation fully, Baileigh locked the door and walked upstairs to the nursery where Sarah was sleeping soundly. Wiping a tear from her cheek she whispered to the sleeping baby, "Well little girl, it's just you and me now."


	5. Chapter 5- Singer's Salvage

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota-_ _ **July 2008-**Between S3E16 No Rest for the Wicked and S4E1 Lazarus Rising****_

Walking passed the giant sign that read "Singer's Salvage" Baileigh couldn't help but be amazed by the number of vehicles within. Rows upon rows of cars, and stack upon stack of parts, filled every inch of the yard.

She had come in the hopes of finding a few parts for her car, and to see Bobby. When she was little, John had told Bobby to keep an eye on her when he was out of town, and after John died, he never stopped checking in. So, when their mutual friend, Ellen, had said in passing that Dean had died- _"It's a real shame you never got to meet him,"_ Ellen had sighed. _"I think you two really would have hit it off,"_ – Baileigh had wanted to check in and give him her condolences.

She searched the yard as she moved closer and closer to the back of the house, cringing every time she saw a classic car with flat tires or a crumpled hood. _These cars should be racing laps around the yard, not rusting away, s_ he thought sadly. She found the parts she was looking for and placed them in the canvas bag hanging at her shoulder, careful not to squish the parcel inside.

By the back of the house between the porch and the workshop was parked a dust covered, black '67 Chevrolet Impala. Baileigh whistled as she approached. She walked around the car admiring it. As she circled, Baileigh dragged one finger across the body, leaving a swirling finger streak through the dust in her wake. Stopping at the front of the car, her fingers itched to peek under the hood.

"Hey! Get away from there!" An angry voice shouted from the back porch. She raised her hands as if she were surrendering.

"I wasn't scavenging. I was just admiring."

A very tall, very inebriated man stumbled down the stairs to her holding a beer in each hand and took a seat in a chair surrounded by discarded empties.

"Sam?" Baileigh asked barely recognizing him despite his height, behind his scruffy beard and blood shot eyes. They had only met the once, back when she and Melody had pulled the Winchesters from the wreckage of their car almost two years before.

"Who wants to know?"

"I, um, I'm Baileigh, I'm a friend of Bobby's. I used to know your father. And... uh... I heard about Dean," she said awkwardly. Sam raised an eyebrow at mention of John, but looked away when she mentioned Dean. "I'm so sorry about your brother."

Sam nodded and gulped his beer.

"That's his car?" she guessed. Ellen had said that they would have gotten along and although she never got the chance to actually meet him, she definitely approved of his taste in cars. Again Sam nodded staying quiet. "It could use some polish," she added, unable to stop herself.

"What?" Sam turned on her, finally ignoring the rest of his beer.

"Anyone who has a classic car keeps it polished. I bet Dean would like to know she's still getting a little TLC," she added. Sam's face went scarlet behind the scruff of his beard.

"Don't talk to me about my brother!" In his rage, Sam threw his unfinished beer at her. The bottle soared through the air and missed her spectacularly, smashing on the hood of a car several feet behind her.

"Well hat was close," she teased. "Maybe lay off the beers and your aim will improve," Baileigh added sarcastically. Sam stood and sauntered to her, swaying slightly. Standing, Sam was intimidatingly tall, but Baileigh was always ready for a fight. She stood her ground stubbornly, squaring her shoulders to Sam and staring him straight in the eyes daring him to make another often tell their children not to stare people or animals in the eye because they can take it as a challenge, but Baileigh, having not had parents very long, had missed that lesson.

"Don't come in here talking about my family, and tell me how to live my life!" Sam said nearly falling over as he tossed his head with derision.

"You call this living?" she shouted back at him.

Over the last month, Bobby had heard Sam shouting a lot, but the second voice shouting back was new. Bobby stormed out of the house to break up the fight as fast as he could. "What the hell are you two idjits goin' on about?" He rubbed his tired face with a hand to wake himself up.

" _She_ just marched in here…" Sam complained, but Bobby smacked Sam upside the head before he could finish talking, giving Baileigh an opportunity to cut in.

"Look, I'm really sorry for your loss. That's actually why I came," she looked to Bobby and indicated the canvas bag, "but you can't let your grief consume you forever. You have to find a reason to keep living, something to reach for. Don't give up yet."

"What do you know about it?" Sam snapped, and Bobby smacked him again. "I don't want to hear 'it'll get better', " Sam warned.

"I know." Baileigh understood. "But it's true, as long as you realize that 'better' doesn't mean 'perfect' or 'back to normal'. 'Better' just means 'slightly improved'."

Sam stayed quiet. Bobby suggested he take a seat while he and Baileigh catch up. He held his arms open for her as Sam took his seat pouting like a child in a timeout. "It's good to see you honey." They hugged.

"Ellen told me," she said, talking about Dean. "I'm so sorry." Bobby nodded solemn and looked at the bag.

"What did you bring me?" he asked. Baileigh pulled a homemade apple pie from the bag with the scavenged car parts and presented it to Bobby. He looked at it disappointed. "You get lost on the way to the liquor store again?"

"I baked you a pie. Who doesn't like pie?" She looked offended.

Bobby smiled, until he noticed the car parts in the bottom of her bag. "What the hell kinda crap car are you driving these days that you need all this?" he asked, sorting through the metal in the bag.

She rolled her eyes exasperated. His reaction was the same as hers. "A minivan," she admitted unable to keep the disappointment from her face.

"What happened to the Chevelle?"

"I loaned it to a friend." She dismissed Bobby's further questions. "I was hoping to give the van a little _kick_."

Bobby laughed. " _You would._ "

"How much for the bag?" she asked.

"One pie," he said smiling again. Baileigh returned the smile sweetly thanking him. She hugged Bobby goodbye- sneaking $40 into his back pocket, and nodded goodbye in Sam's direction.

As she retreated Sam joined Bobby and watched her go. "Who was that?"

" _That_ Sam, is who Dean would have been if he was born with lady parts." Bobby chuckled, "Tough as nails, sharp as a razor, stubborn as a mule, resourceful as all hell and dammit if she don't like cars more n' she likes people."


	6. Chapter 6- Baggage

_Somewhere in Nebraska-_ ** _September 2009 **Shortly after S5E2 Good God Y'all**_**

Sam and Dean parked next to a blue Chevelle SS in the lot outside a hole in the wall bar named The Watering Hole. "Racing stripes. Nice." Dean said getting out of the Impala. They let The Watering Hole's door close with a creak behind them.

"Who's got the SS parked out front?" Dean asked loudly into the bar. No one answered. As their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting inside they noticed all the regulars glaring at them.

"That'd be me," a hardened female voice said from behind a group huddled around one of the pool tables. Ellen Harvelle extricated herself from the group and approached leaning on her pool cue. "I ain't heard from you in near' a year? And now I see ya' twice in a month?"

"These boys givin' ya' trouble Ellen?" a man wider than Sam and Dean shoulder to shoulder asked striding forward holding his pool cue like a bat. He had tattooed, angry looking men in denim jackets on either side of him.

"Settle down fellas. These boys are like family." She wrapped them both in tight hugs. "I've missed you two. How's the front line?" she asked motioning for the bartender to pour two more pints.

"Thanks," said Sam accepting the drink, "it's good to see you too." Sam said nodding his gratitude. Dean said nothing and took several swigs of his beer.

"Stopping the Apocalypse is going that well then?" Ellen put one hand on her hip, the other resting on the bar.

"We're a little _busy_."

"Workin' a case right now?" she inquired looking around.

"Stretching our legs." Sam added again avoiding Dean's eyes.

"I'm going to take a leak. Then we're back on the road Sam." Sam rolled his eyes at the back of Dean's head.

"Sorry about my brother."

"At least one of you's got some manners. Is he okay?"

"Not really."

"How about you?" she asked looking up at the younger Winchester.

He shook his head. "Burning the candle at both ends."

"I bet."

"Do you boys get any free time?"

"Do you?"

She laughed. "I've done my livin' boy. I had husband, built a family, owned a bar. What do I need free time for?"

Dean returned from the washroom looking horrified. "Let's go Sam." Then he remembered and turned to Ellen, "Wait, you said that Chevelle is yours?"

Ellen nodded, "My friend lent it to me for a while. Why?"

Dean shrugged. "It's a good looking car." He approved.

"Speakin' of, you ain't got a problem with baggage, do ya' Dean?"

"Yep. Got enough of my own. Why?"

"I was looking to fix you up with a girlfriend. Her name's Lee."

He looked Ellen up and down. "You're a fine enough woman Ellen, but your friend ain't swimming where I fish," he said waving goodbye at Ellen as he retreated.

"Hey now!" she called after him offended, "What would make you think that?"

Dean turned, "She got any kids?"

"Well now, that's an unfair question."

"Not my pond!" He cut her off.

"Shame," she said softly so that only Sam could hear as she waved back at Dean, "those two would have got along just fine."

She hugged Sam as Dean shouted from the front door,"Let's go Sam."

 _Sioux Falls, South Dakota-_ _ **Later in September 2009**_

Dean's phone rings.

"Bobby? What's up?"

"Hey Dean. I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you."

"Yeah okay. Shoot."

"You've been back in the world of the living 'bout a year now."

"Yeah."

"So..." Bobby paused and looked up to the heavens for support. "I got this friend I want you to meet."

"Are they a hunter?"

"No." Bobby sighed.

"Then what the hell Bobby? Now you're trying to set me up too? I've got the damned Apocalypse to prevent, why's everyone trying to set me up?"

"I ain't tryin' t' set you up." Bobby thought about it, "Well yeah, maybe I am. But wait, who else is tryin' t' set you up?" he asked curiously.

"Ellen tried to fix me up with one of her friends 'Lee' a couple days ago." Dean said exasperated. Over the phone Bobby laughed, hard. "What's so funny?" Dean snapped.

"Nothin' boy. It's just nice to know I'm not the only one who saw it."

"Saw what?"

 **Click.** Bobby hung up.

"What's gotten in to everyone?" Dean asked turning on Sam bewildered.

His brother just shrugged. "I don't see the problem Dean."

"Not you too!" Dean marched away. "We've got bigger things on our plate than dating!" He grumbled, "God I can't believe I just said that." He shuddered before getting in the Impala and blasting the music and discouraging further conversation on the topic.

Dean's phone rang again. **Bobby**.

"Don't make me tell you twice." Dean warned.

"No Dean. I've got trouble." They heard a shot go off in the background, a scream and Bobby curse.

"What is it?"

"How fast can you boys get here?"

"Bobby, what is it?" Dean shouted into the receiver. Another shot rang out. "Dammit Bobby, we're coming."

 **Click _._**

When Dean and Sam finally pulled up to Singer's Salvage Yard it was already dark. The moon was high in the sky, the stars were out and the house was dark. The only light they could see was an amber flickering light; like a fire, behind the house, back by the workshop. They parked the Impala just inside the gates and walked past a light blue minivan parked by the back door to Bobby's house. They looked to the dark house ready to search it, until they heard a shriek coming from beside the workshop. They followed the light, their guns raised high as they turned around a stack of rusting cars to see Bobby, in his wheelchair holding a toddler in a pink hat. Dean looked at him confused.

"What is it?" Dean said raising his gun at the child. But Bobby shielded it protectively.

"It's a baby ya' idjit," Bobby said sneering. "Now put away your guns before mom sees ya'."

But it was too late. There was the clink of beer bottles falling to the ground before Sam cried out as a small foot kicked the back of his knee and pulled the shot gun from his hand. Dean spun, but Sam's shot gun was shoved into his gut, then was used for leverage to hook under Dean's arms, against his chest and toss him into the air. When he landed, wheezing on the ground winded, 'mom' plucked the pistol from Dean's hand and tossed both guns under a nearby car.

"Don't you ever point a gun at my kid," she warned standing over the Winchesters in skin tight blue jeans, bright red Chuck Taylors and an old cut off AC/DC t-shirt. She tossed back her sandy blonde hair as she picked the fallen beers up off the ground and wiped the dirt off on the side of her shirt before using the back of her knee to open the bottles. She handed one to Bobby; and left two unopened near two empty chairs for the boys. She took a swig of her beer and sat next to Bobby. She held her arms out for the little girl who was sleeping soundly now.

Bobby passed her the kid and raised an eyebrow. "Quite the entrance," he said smiling. She winked.

Dean and Sam got to their feet and approached the crackling fire pit cautiously. Nothing about this seemed like 'trouble' unless you counted the woman who just threw them both to the ground without breaking a sweat. Bobby was smiling and there were sausages, and potatoes in foil roasting on the edge of the fire.

"Bobby, what the hell's going on?"

"Boys, I want you to officially meet Baileigh Wyatt."

Baileigh stood, holding the sleeping toddler in one hand and held out the other to Sam and then Dean. Dean took her hand and tilted his head curious. "What do you mean 'officially'?"

"We've met before." Baileigh explained. "About 3 years ago I was one of the paramedics that pulled you from your car when you got hit by a tractor trailer." She tried to smile sweetly.

"Oh. Thanks." Dean stuttered.

"And about a year ago, Sam and I had a shouting match right over there." She pointed back at the house.

"We did?" Sam said.

"You were blackout drunk, I'm not surprised you don't remember. I almost had to kick your ass that time too." She winked again. "But I didn't."

"Why don't I remember this?" Asked Dean.

"You were dead." Baileigh said softly. Still holding the sleeping baby, she wrapped Dean in a hug and held him. Her face squished up to the side of his face. "I'm glad you're alright." She let him go and he looked slightly stunned; both from how weird it was for a stranger to hug him so tight, and because of how nice it felt when she held him- her hug was strong and genuine, like a hug from an old friend after a long time apart.

"Boys take a seat, this meeting is well over due. It's time to catch up."

"We thought you were in trouble!" Dean shouted. Bobby glared at him looking over at the baby in Baileigh's arms, but Baileigh didn't seem bothered by the shouting.

"I lied."

"There were gun shots."

"Oh, sorry, that was my fault. I had a bad day at work and was blowing off steam with some target practice."

"And the screams?"Sam added. Baileigh looked down at the sleeping kid in her arms and shrugged.

"This isn't over Bobby. We were in the middle of..."

"Oh quit your whining, sit down, drink your beer and make a new friend. God, is this what it's like to have kids?"

Baileigh shook her head. "Sarah's not _this_ much trouble."

The boys took their seats: Sam beside Bobby and Dean beside Sam on the other side of Baileigh, and sat around the fire quietly.

"So you're a paramedic and a martial artist?" Dean inquired. The question was playful, but he wasn't quite ready to relax yet, so the question had some toughness to it.

Baileigh tried not to take it personally. "I guess you could say that. I had a lot of time to myself when I was a kid, so I learned to defend myself."

"At a ninja school?" Dean said leaning back in his seat.

Baileigh laughed. "No, my apartment's handy man taught me."

The Winchesters appreciated her _Karate Kid_ joke laughing hard and both relaxed around the fire.

"Food's ready." Baileigh jumped up, placed the baby in Dean's lap and pulled the food from the fire with her bare hands. Sam opened his eyes wide watching her; Dean didn't even notice, though his eyes were just as wide staring at the young child in his arms.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Sam asked.

"Nope," she said dismissively. A little heat was nothing compared to all the pain of loss she'd suffered over the years. There was a small table set up nearby with plastic cutlery and paper plates. She plated meals for everyone; sausages with potatoes and onions for Dean and Bobby and sausages with sweet potatoes and caramelized mushrooms for herself and Sam.

The boys thanked Baileigh for the food, Sam taking note that his plate was different and slightly healthier than Dean's or Bobby's.

"You don't remember me, but I've been around, and I pay attention."

"And you have all the same friends." Bobby teased. "When I found out you hustled Rufus out of two hundred bucks at pool I damn near fell outta my chair!" Everyone laughed.

"You play pool?" Dean asked.

"I thought you said he was sharp?" Baileigh wondered turning on Bobby again.

"Just let the beer kick in kiddo."

"So how do you know Bobby?" Dean asked trying to change the topic from himself, and Baileigh went quiet. Bobby opened his mouth to answer for her but she held up a hand to stop him.

"I was very young when I learned that monsters were real. I lost my whole family before I was 11."

"How'd you survive?"

"Your dad saved me, and then he asked Bobby to watch over me whenever he was out of town."

Dean looked down at the toddler again trying to change the subject and finally realized that the child in his hands was still sleeping. He looked taken aback for a moment, "And who is this?" He made sure to keep his voice deep and level while he talked about the kid.

"This," Baileigh said taking the kid back, "is Sarah Birk."

"I thought you were 'mom'?" Sam asked.

"Are either of them clever?" she asked. Bobby shrugged at her and shook his head.

"I am mom, _now_. I used to be aunt Baileigh. She was my best friends'. I got her when she was five months old." When the conversation went quiet Baileigh quickly changed the subject. "Let's play a game called 'Can you Fix it?' " Baileigh announced before throwing out scenarios about broken down vehicles and the noises they were making- sometimes she drew inspiration from cars scattered around the yard- and let the boys fight to see who could answer correctly. Sam tired of the game quickly, but Dean and Bobby couldn't get enough and started tossing back scenarios for Baileigh to answer.

Several beers later Bobby asked for a lift back into the house. "Baileigh, you and Sarah taking the couch?"

"If you've got the room," she said lifting Sarah into her arms. Sarah sleepily wrapped herself around Baileigh's middle and held her tight.

"You're cooking breakfast then." Bobby decreed.

"Because I'm the mom?"

"Because you're the best cook." He laughed.

"Sam, Dean, you're staying too. We've all been drinking and there's more 'n enough room."

"Yessir." The boys replied in unison. Sam leaned over and assured Baileigh he'd help with breakfast. She thanked him politely.

Inside, Dean walked into the living room as Baileigh was removing her jeans. He backed away into the hall apologizing. "Relax, I've got the same parts as everyone else." She said.

In the hall Dean cleared his throat. "Bobby told me you'd need some blankets."

"Yeah I do, thanks." Baileigh was standing in front of him in the hall wearing nothing but her underwear and t-shirt. Although he tried very hard not to stare, he saw the edges of a tattoo that matched the one on his chest, peeking above her underwear low on her right hip bone.

"I thought you weren't a hunter."

"I'm not." She grabbed the blankets and wrapped one around her waist before settling into the couch and placing Sarah on her chest. "Do you mind tucking us in?" she asked holding a blanket out to Dean.

He draped it over the pair talking softly. "Bobby said you're not a Hunter, but if you're not a hunter, how'd you hear about the tattoo?"

"I saw yours after your crash, and a lot of my friends are hunters. I put two and two together and after I got Sarah, I figured I should do everything I can to ward off as much as I can and stay around for her as long as possible."

"Ever thought about hunting?"

"No. I like being a paramedic. That's how _I_ help people. How about you? If you hadn't gone into the family business, what would you be doing?"

"Honestly? I'd probably be here." He answered taking a seat nearby where Baileigh could still see him. She raised an eyebrow at him. "No, not hunting. I'd be a mechanic, or a construction worker or something working with my hands."

Dean stayed in the living room all night chatting with Baileigh. She didn't know how late they were up talking, or when she fell asleep, but in the morning when she woke up Dean was in the kitchen and the smell of bacon was already starting to drift through the house.


	7. Chapter 7- First Date

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota-_ ** _October 2009 **Between S5E3 Free to be You and Me and S5E5 Fallen Idols**_**

"I feel stupid," Dean said looking at himself in the mirror in the main hallway of Bobby's house.

"You look stupid," Bobby teased rolling his wheelchair back to his study from the kitchen. Dean's hair was slicked to the side with gel and he was wearing a solid blue collared shirt tucked into his pants- he looked very uncomfortable.

"This was a dumb idea." Dean marched back up the stairs to his rooom. Sam was sitting on the top step reading a book he'd found in the library blocking Dean's path. "Move," Dean's deep voice demanded.

Sam looked up at Dean and stifled a laugh as he noticed Dean's hair. "You're not going out?"

"No." Dean pushed passed Sam and locked the door to his room.

"Why not?" Sam put down his book.

Dean's door flew open and he stuck his head out angrily. "Because this is stupid. I have no idea what I'm doing and I don't want to!" The door slammed again.

The next time the door to Dean's room opened Dean's hair was playfully mussed and he was wearing a black t-shirt under one of his favourite red-plaid shirts. He looked much more comfortable now. He took a seat on the stairs beside Sam without a word.

Sam had gone back to reading his book when Dean had slammed his door shut and didn't look up from the old pages to ask, "What did you have planned for tonight?"

"Dinner and a movie," Dean replied tipping his head to the side unsure.

They both heard a scoff and a muttered "Idjit" come from Bobby's study.

"You got an opinion you'd like to share Bobby?" Dean called down.

Bobby rolled back into the hallway to answer, "As a matter of fact I do." He set his jaw grumpily and stared up at the boys. "This ain't no normal girl Dean. She's one of a kind. You have to 'do' something with her. Sittin' around watchin' a movie ain't good for either of ya'."

"I thought dinner and a movie was a regular date thing?"

"Emphasis on the _regular_ part." Bobby rolled his eyes.

"You really like Baileigh right?" Sam asked. Dean didn't answer.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace." Joked Bobby at the foot of the stairs. Dean buried his face in his hands in frustration, and Sam motioned for Bobby to give them a moment.

"Dean, I know you like her- I saw the spark between you two at the bonfire. So, it's real easy. What would you do on a nice day, if it were just you, or you and me?"

Dean shrugged. "Go for a drive I guess. Shoot some pool, target practice," he listed.

"I bet she'd love that."

"But that's not date stuff. That's..."

"Best friend stuff." Sam supplied.

"Yeah."

"Dean, that's kind of the point." Sam put his book down. "There's something real between you and Baileigh. Bobby and Ellen saw it before you even met her. You deserve to give this a try."

 **Several Hours later.**

Sam was still awake, reading the same book, when Dean came home. He was flipping the second last page of the old book stretched out on Bobby's couch when he heard the Impala rumble into the yard. He heard the car door close followed by Dean's heavy steps up the back porch, and the squeak of the screen as Dean entered the back door. He heard the fridge open and the rattling of bottles. Sam called out, "Can you get me one too?"

"You're still up?" Dean asked coming into the living room and handing Sam a cold beer.

Sam looked at his watched and raised his shoulders. "It's not late Dean. It's 10:30," he replied sitting up.

"Right, well she had to let the babysitter go home."

Sam didn't judge. "So? How was it?"

"Fine." Dean said taking a swig of beer.

"Just fine?" Sam asked pressing for details.

"Yeah." There was a pause. "She wanted to drive," Dean said looking off into the distance.

"What did you do?" Sam looked cartoonishly worried.

"I let her." Dean looked just as surprised as Sam.

Sam nodded impressed. "Wow."

"She took me to some little dive bar with an arcade. We played Pack-man, Asteroids, Streetfigther and some racing games. It was awesome."

"Sounds fun." Sam agreed. He couldn't remember the last time he had played an arcade game.

"Then after we used up all our tokens we sang some Karaoke."

Sam snorted beer out his nose. "You did Karaoke?"

"Yeah," Dean said defensively.

"What did you sing?" Sam looked at his brother weary of his answer.

"Eye of the Tiger, Smoke on the Water, Simply the Best," he listed.

"Tina Turner?"

"You got a problem with Tina?"

"Well at least it wasn't Taylor Swift." Sam said clapping his older brother on the shoulder. Dean stayed quiet finishing his beer as heat rose up his cheeks and he fought the urge to hum the melody of 'You belong with me'. "I'm glad you had a good time." Sam smiled and held his beer bottle out in a silent toast.


	8. Chapter 8- One of the 'Gang'

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota-_ ** _October 2009- Februar_** ** _y_** ** _2010 **Between S5E5 Fallen Idols and S5E14 My Bloody Valentine- featuring scenes from S5E14 My Bloody Valentine**_**

Dean saw a lot of Baileigh and Sarah in the next few months.

Despite the boys' quest to prevent the Apocalypse, Baileigh seemed unfazed by the ever present danger surrounding them. She understood that there were big pieces in play and that Dean and Sam were needed all around the country. Whenever they were gone she didn't call to ask where they were. She didn't text Dean to make sure he was safe. In her mind, he either was or he wasn't and there was nothing she could do about either. She did however, send Dean a picture- once. It was an adorable picture of herself sitting in a field with Sarah on her lap, both smiling jubilantly into the camera. There was no message and no caption attached to the file- nothing to guilt him into coming back home- it was just a lovely picture of his girls. And it was the only picture he had of them.

Knowing better than to keep a picture of his family on his phone when trying to kill the Devil and prevent the Apocalypse, Dean had it printed- twice. One copy he kept in his wallet, the other he stashed in the hood of his car where no demon could get at it. He loved that picture.

Home for Dean and Baileigh was a combination of Baileigh's house and Bobby's, and since Bobby's was the base of operations for the fight against the Apocalypse, if Dean was in town Baileigh could find him at Bobby's. Very quickly Baileigh and Sarah turned into staples at Singer's Salvage Yard. Baileigh stopped in for drinks so often that Bobby had gotten into the habit of leaving milk, whipped cream and coke for her 'mojo juice' stocked in the fridge and a cup of cinnamon and a small plate of lime wedges for her on the counter. She and Sarah were there to laugh along to the story of how Sam and Dean had to fight Ghandi and Paris Hilton. And when Dean returned after finding, battling, saving and then losing a child Castiel called the 'anti-christ' Sarah's bright eyes were there to comfort him when he got home.

It didn't seem odd to either of them that their evening conversations often went along the lines of:

 _D: How was your day?_

 _B: I saved a kid having a severe allergic reaction. Anything exciting happen to you today?_

 _D: Did you know there are 'Supernatural' Conventions? I saw dozens of_ people _\- not just guys- dressed like Sammy n' me from those stupid books._

 _B: That's ridiculous._

 _D: Tell me about it._

 _B:… Wanna watch Dr. Sexy MD?_

Or:

 _D: Rough day?_

 _B: A car fire, a broken leg and a heart attack, but Sarah went down for her nap really easy. You?_

 _D: I met with a Demon who's helping me kill the Devil."_

Or:

 _B: So Dean, I might have done something bad today._

 _D: What'd you do?_

 _B: Castiel asked me to teach him how to tie a braid. And I showed him. And then he went to practice on Sam while he was sleeping._

 _D: HA! I was wondering why Sam was walking around with a braid in the back of his hair all day._

When the Hunters started making preparations to kill the Devil, Baileigh's worlds came together as her old friends and new friends sat at the same table. She poured shots for Ellen and Castiel, and made tacos for everyone else. She and Jo shared a laugh when Ellen handed Sarah to Castiel who held the child away from his body looking frightened.

"She can read my mind," he said nervously handing the child back to Baileigh. And with Sarah balanced on her hip, Baileigh snapped a quick group picture of her friends before they went up against Lucifer.

And, she was ready on Bobby's back porch with a cooler of beers and a bottle of whiskey when Ellen and Jo didn't come home.

 _Sioux Falls- South Dakota-_ ** _February 2010_**

So when Dean pulled up to the house after facing 'Famine' and he didn't see Baileigh's minivan parked out back, he was relieved. She didn't have to see Dean and Castiel drag a blood soaked Sam; kicking and screaming, through the house tied up in shackles. She didn't see them lead him down the stairs into the basement and lock him up in Bobby's panic room.

She didn't have to hear Sam screaming for help as he detoxed from demon blood. "Help. Help! Dean! Cas!" he shouted. "If you're out there, please, help! AAAAHHHH!"

"It's not him in there, not really." Castiel tried to be reassuring.

"I know." Standing outside Bobby's panic room listening to the wails and cries for help from his brother, Dean looked anything but reassured.

"Dean? Are you alright?"

"No."

"Sam just has to get it out of his system. Then he'll be fine."

"It's not just Sam." He paused to take another drink from the whiskey bottle in his hands. "We're trying to _kill the Devil_ \- who by the way, wants to _possess my brother_ \- who is _addicted to demon blood_. Today we faced another horseman while trying to prevent the _Apocalypse_. And Ellen and Jo died- add those two to the tally of friends Lee's lost..."

 _Ah_ , Castiel thought, finally able to figure out what was triggering Dean's mood- this was about Baileigh.

"This is a one way, suicide mission and she's going to have to add me to her list."

"But Dean,"

"She's been hunted by vamps her entire life and now because of me she and Sarah," he paused after the little girl's name overwhelmed him, "are targets for Horsemen, demons and angels alike! Hell hounds had their scent Cas! Because of me." The angel tried to interject but Dean talked over him. "She's lived in danger her whole life and being around me is just making it worse."

"What are you going to do?" Castiel asked over Sam's continuing pleas for help.

Dean shook his head. "I need some air."

Outside by the Impala Dean looked to the heavens for help.

"How're you holding up?" Dean was startled to see Baileigh standing next to him, the toddler was asleep on her shoulder as usual. "Bobby called. Said you had a rough day. I almost waited inside but the screams were making me anxious. We were doing laps when I saw you come out. How's Sam?"

"He'll live," Dean said curtly.

"Thank goodness," she sighed. "Uncle Sam's going to be fine," she whispered offhand to Sarah as she continued sleeping. "Then what's wrong Dean? You look... _awful,_ " she said for lack of a better word. She held out a hand to touch his forehead, but he moved out of the way before she could touch his face. If she had, he would have melted into her touch and never could have done what he intended to.

Famine's words echoed in Dean's mind, _That's one deep dark nothing you've got there Dean. Can't fill it can you? Not with food, not with drink. You can lie to your brother and to yourself but not to me! I can see how broken you are, how defeated. You can't win and you know it. You're not hungry Dean, because inside, you're already dead!_

"Don't," he said taking a step away. "Baileigh look," Dean's words made her stand up straight. Dean hadn't called her Baileigh in months. He, like Ellen, and Jody and John, called her Lee as soon as he got to know her; only Bobby and Sam still called her Baileigh. "I need you to go."

"What's coming?"

"I don't want you here."

"Dammit Dean, I know you're fighting off the God Damn Apocalypse, whatever's coming for you doesn't scare me."

"Baileigh," he used her full name again and the little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "It's not working. Take your kid, and leave." _Take_ your _kid_. That stung. Dean often called Sarah 'honey', 'sweetheart', 'baby girl' and even 'the kid' playfully, but he had never referred to her as 'Baileigh's kid'.

Furious, but unable to fight with a toddler sleeping on her shoulder Baileigh left. When her tail lights turned out of the salvage yard Dean threw his bottle of whiskey at the side of the house. It smashed with a satisfying crash.

The next day Sam when Sam woke from his detox, he was puzzled when he noticed only three pairs of eyes staring at him; there should have been five. "No Baileigh?" he asked. His voice was rough after a night spent screaming for help.

"She left," said Dean.

"Why?"

"It just wasn't workin' out." That was the last thing Dean said about Baileigh for a long time.


	9. Chapter 9- A Normal, Apple Pie Life

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota-_ _ **March 25 2010 **After S5E14 My Bloody Valentine, Featuring moments from S5E15 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid and S5E22 Swan Song****_

Baileigh tried to contact Dean after he told her to leave outside Singer's Salvage, but Baileigh had no idea where he was. He wasn't at Bobby's and all of her calls rang out to voicemail- even when she called Sam's phone- Dean had changed the caller ID on his phone from **Wyatt, B.** to **Cruiseship Vacations**.

Despite not being able to get a hold of him, Baileigh called Dean in a panic when Mel and Timothy Birk; somehow back from the dead and walking around, showed up at her front door wanting to see their little girl.

But Dean didn't pick up.

On her own, faced with the resurrected dead, she told Mel and Tim to wait in the living room while she went to wake Sarah from her nap. "She'll be so excited to see you," Baileigh said before racing upstairs. Instead of bringing Sarah down to her parents, Baileigh grabbed the little girl, climbed out the window onto the roof of the garage, hopped to the roof of the minivan and drove to Bobby's as fast as she could.

A smile hid her panic when Karen, Bobby's late ex wife opened the door and invited her inside for pie. Baileigh recognized her from an old picture Bobby kept in his desk. "Oh that's so sweet, but I should really give you two some time to catch up. Maybe tomorrow?"

With a lead foot on the gas pedal Baileigh sped out of town as fast as possible; the van wasn't as fast as she wanted and she found herself wishing she'd put a car seat in the Chevelle. Baileigh drove for hours without any idea where she was going. Her heart wanted to turn the van around to go and hug Melody and Tim. Her heart ached for Sarah. Both her heart and her brain wanted Sarah to have a chance to speak with her parents, to be able to remember them one day. But her gut told her to run, and to keep running. It was her gut that yearned to keep Sarah safe, it was that primal part, deep down that was glad that Sarah hadn't seen them.

And so she kept driving.

Eight hours later when she saw the water in Green Bay, Wisconsin she found a motel and ordered a pizza. Sarah was plopped in front of the TV watching cartoons, while Baileigh hovered by the door waiting for the pizza. She pulled out her phone again and dialed **Dean**. Dean didn't pick up.

"Dean, it's me. I... I... No." Her voice shook and she looked to Sarah trying to keep it steady. Sarah didn't notice. "My best friend and her husband popped out of the ground today demanding to see their daughter," she whispered angrily into the phone. "I get that you don't want to talk to me. Fine. But dammit Dean, this is your area of expertise! And just in case you were at all curious, Sarah and I are fine."

 _On the road to Detroit, Michigan-_ _ **May 2010**_

Driving on their way to meet the Devil in Detroit; Castiel snoring softly in the back of the Impala, Dean piped up, "Sam I got a bad feeling about this."

"Well you'd be nuts to have a good feeling about it."

"You know what I mean. Detroit, he always said he'd jump your bones in Detroit. Here we are."

"Here we are."

"Maybe this is him rolling out the red carpet. Maybe he knows something we don't."

"Dean, I bet he knows a butt load we don't, but you gotta' hope he doesn't know about the rings." They both sigh, "Hey, ummm, on the subject, there's something I gotta talk to you about."

"What?"

"If this thing goes our way and I Triple Lindy into that box, you know I'm not coming back."

"Yeah, I'm aware."

"So, you gotta' promise me something."

"Okay, yeah, anything."

"You gotta' promise not to try to bring me back."

"What? No, I didn't sign up for that! Your Hell is going to make my tour look like Graceland! You want me to sit by and do nothin'?"

"Once the cage is shut you can't go poking at it Dean, it's too risky."

"You can't ask me to do this."

"I'm sorry Dean. You have to."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"You go find Lisa, or Baileigh," Sam said softly. Dean scoffed, his grip getting tighter on the steering wheel. "You pray that she's dumb enough to take you back and you have barbecues and go to football games. You go live some normal, apple pie life Dean! Promise me."

Dean promised. But when Sam died Baileigh didn't get a call. Instead, Dean drove out to Battle Creek, Michigan and parked on the road in front of a small house. He pulled the picture of Baileigh and Sarah from his wallet and stared at it memorizing their smiling faces. He dragged a hand over his face and wiped the wetness from his eyes. _Go find Lisa, or Baileigh. Live a normal apple pie life,_ Sam had said.

He ripped up the picture, got out of the car and walked up the front steps. He knocked five times before the door opened. "Hey Lee-s" he added forgetting for a second who he was talking to.

"Thank God," Lisa sighed relieved. "Are you alright?" Her dark eyes looked worried as they examined the man standing in the doorway.

"Yeah...If it's not too late, I think I'd like to take you up on that beer." Dean's voice was scratchy. His throat was closing up and his eyes started to water again.

"It's never too late." Lisa led him inside and pulled him into a tender embrace. He held her close, desperate for some form of comfort. He squished his face between her shoulder and neck- her hair smelled like flowers. Baileigh's hair didn't smell like flowers. Baileigh's hair smelled like baby powder and the pine air-fresheners she kept in her cars.

 _Live a normal, apple pie life._ But he couldn't do that with Baileigh and Sarah; no matter how badly he wanted too. Nothing would ever be normal, or apple pie with them. Their life together would be danger and heartbreak and they had suffered enough of that already. For Baileigh and Sarah, an apple pie life would be the life they lived _without_ him.

 _Chicago, Illinois-_ ** _Later in May 2010_**

After Sam went to Hell Castiel went back to Heaven and Dean moved in with Lisa and Ben, and nobody talked about Baileigh. There was nobody left in her old life who knew about her, who would call her or check up on her, except of course, good ol' Bobby Singer.

"You got your boxes all un-packed?" Bobby asked over the phone. As he talked to her, Bobby cleared her 'mojo juice' ingredients into a cupboard. They didn't need to stay out on the counter anymore. She wouldn't be popping in for surprise visits, or TV dates anymore.

"Yessir."

"Your garden's strong right?" he asked looking out the window to the spot in the yard where the Minivan and Impala used to park. In their place was Baileigh's blue Chevelle SS. The white racing stripes shined in the sunlight. She had left it for Bobby to use 'but don't bring him on hunts and get him all busted up' she had specified.

"I've got skunk cabbage, saffron and trillium growing in the front yard, back yard and in pots in the bedrooms. And I dust our clothes with the combination of their ashes after every wash."

"Good girl. That'll keep the vamps off ya. Did you get my present yet?"

"The door mat with the devil's trap on the bottom? Yeah," she laughed, "it's perfect." They caught up on Baileigh's work in a new district, Sarah's latest milestones, and about their guilty pleasure TV show Tori and Dean. And when Baileigh found herself wanting to ask about Dean she faked an excuse to hang up.

"Don't be a stranger," Bobby said.

"I'll do what I can." **Click.**


	10. Chapter 10- Surprise at Bobby's

_Sioux Falls, South Dakota-_ _ **September 2010 **Featuring scenes from S6E1 Exile on Main St.****_

Four months after moving to Illinois, Baileigh and Sarah got an invite to pne of Sarah's old friend's birthday party back in Sioux , Baileigh called Bobby and told him she'd be in town for a few hours if he wanted a visitor. "I'll leave the door unlocked," he had said with a smile.

Baileigh dropped off Sarah at the birthday party with a dozen other screaming three year olds and left with a look of pity at the hosting parents. "Call me if you need anything."

At Bobby's Baileigh knocked and walked into the house with a loud "Hellooooo?" She smiled in the kitchen when she noticed her favourite coffee mug and the ingredients for her mojo juice laid out on the counter beside the coffee pot waiting for her; it was as if she'd never left. Heavy steps thundered down the stairs as Bobby raced to the kitchen at her call.

"Look at you dancin' around," Baileigh said as Bobby walked into the kitchen with his arms open. The last time she had seen Bobby, he'd still been bound to his wheelchair. "I know you told me you could walk, but I just can't believe it," she said amazed.

"Enough about me. How's Illinois?" Bobby hovered while Baileigh fixed herself a drink and led her to the living room closing the sliding doors to the kitchen behind him.

There was a knock at the back door. "I'll get it," Bobby grumbled. "You stay here." Bobby got up and left Baileigh in the living room sipping her drink. Bobby opened the back door to see Dean standing on the back porch. "Dammit."

"It's good to see you too, it's been a while."

"If you're here, something's wrong." Bobby sighed unhappy.

"Bobby, this is Lisa and Ben." Lisa forced a smile behind Dean.

"It's nice to finally meet you two. Mi case is su casa," Bobby said letting them in. He looked at Ben. "Maybe you wanna go upstairs. The TV's broken but there's plenty of Reader's Digest. Just don't touch the decor, k? Assume it's all loaded," he warned.

"So," Dean said stepping aside so Bobby could see Sam standing behind him.

"Hey Bobby." Sam looked sheepish.

"Sam." Bobby nodded.

From the second the door opened Baileigh knew who had come. _Dean was here_. Her heart beat raced as she looked around for some way to escape. Raised voices made it all too easy for Baileigh to overhear the boys in the kitchen. Sam was alive- and Bobby knew and didn't tell Dean- so, Dean was pissed. Same old, same old- almost. As desperately as she wanted to run from the house to avoid seeing Dean, she couldn't fight the desire to listen to his voice a little longer.

"You got out Dean! You walked away from the life and I was so damned grateful, you got no idea!" Bobby roared.

"Do you have any clue what walking away meant for me?"

"Yeah, a woman and a kid and not gettin' your guts ripped out at age thirty! That's what it meant."

Baileigh's heart raced. _Dean got out? He's not hunting anymore?_ She wished she hadn't heard that. She wished she had listened to her instincts and run the moment Dean entered to house. She felt sick to her stomach. _A woman and a kid, that's what it meant._ But Bobby wasn't talking about her and Sarah. Her head spun, she felt dizzy and sick and just wanted to be anywhere else.

"That woman and that kid, I went to them because you asked me to!" Dean pointed accusingly at Sam. "I showed up on their doorstep half outta' my head with grief. God knows why they let me in. I drank too much... I had nightmares..." They fought. "You knew Sam was alive a damn year and you couldn't put me outta' my misery?"

"I get that it wasn't easy, but that's life and it's the closest to happiness I've ever seen a Hunter get," Bobby roared again.

In the dining room Baileigh clutched her stomach. Everything hurt. Dean was happy. He was happy with another woman and _her_ kid. She looked around the room desperate for an escape. She couldn't stay and over hear their conversation any longer.

"Look it's not like I wanted to lie to you son, but you were out."

"Do I look out to you?" Dean snapped.

There was a thump from the living room.

"Aw, shit." Bobby's eyes landed on Baileigh's mojo juice ingredients on the counter and cursed racing back to the living room. "Honey, I forgot..." But the living room was empty and one of the windows was propped open.

"What's..." Dean ran after Bobby, followed immediately by Sam, but Dean didn't need to ask the rest of his question when he saw Baileigh's long sandy blonde hair retreating from the house.

"Damn." Bobby sighed.

"What the Hell Bobby?" Dean turned on him livid.

"We're still friends ya' idjit. Just 'cause you cut ties don't mean I have to," the older man said defensive.

"And you just left her in here to hear everything? Dammit!" Dean shouted throwing a punch at the wall. "Was Sarah here?"

Bobby shook his head 'no'. "She's at a birthday party."

Footsteps on the stairs made Sam and Bobby duck into the kitchen. Dean cleared his throat as he met Lisa by the bottom of the stairs. "Bobby's a little crotchety but he's great. He's gonna look after you guys, and me and Sam are gonna head out."

"For how long?" Lisa sat on one of the steps.

"I'm so sorry Lisa."

"For what?"

"Those _things_ , they were coming for me. They're always going to come."

"You're saying good bye?"

"I'm saying sorry. For everything."

"Everything," she sighed picking at a loose thread in her jeans.

He ran out the back door a little while later hoping Baileigh was still in the yard. He found her in the back of the lot in the driver's seat of a plum purple 1967 Pontiac GTO.

"Hey," he said. "I didn't think you'd still be here."

Baileigh couldn't roll up the window- it was missing- but she locked the door pointedly avoiding looking at Dean. She had nowhere to go, she wasn't supposed to pick up Sarah for another hour.

"Lee," he said softly, using her nickname awakened an old feeling deep in his stomach, "let me in." She ignored him. "At least talk to me." When she didn't, he sat on the ground against the driver's door just to be close to her. "I'm so sorry."

She was quiet for a moment longer. "Sorry for what Dean?" When he didn't answer, she climbed out of the broken window, jumped over Dean and walked away. "Don't apologize for picking someone else Dean," she said retreating.

"But,"

"You can apologize for not calling me back, or for not telling me that you'd moved on." She spun with both hands on her hips. Dean stayed quiet. "Out of the blue to tell me to leave, and then you just stopped calling. Everyone I ever cared about has died Dean. And you're alive and you just disappear without an explanation? It would have been easier if you had died, because at least then I'd know why you didn't want to see me." She turned again and continued walking away, then spun changing her mind and advanced on him like an angry jungle cat. "But you should know, Sarah and I are strong. We could have handled your lifestyle. I love that you're a Hunter and Sarah knows you're a hero, so she'd be fine when you're gone. You wouldn't have had to change for us."

He looked at her and thought of all the ways his life had changed in the last year.

"I'm going to try to be happy for you Dean." She said, "I'm really going to try. If you want _safe_ and _normal_ , I can't blame you. I wished for that for a long time before I accepted that my life will never be _safe_ or _normal._ And now, I'm okay with that."

Dean dug the toe of his boot into the dirt as if he were squishing a bug. "Lee, I..." but he hadn't actually thought of what he wanted to say. She waited for a moment before springing up to the tips of her toes, spinning on the spot and walking away. "Come on, don't. Baileigh!" he called after her, but his feet didn't move from where he stood.

"Enjoy the simple life Dean. You deserve it." She tried to smile as she shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and walked out of sight.


	11. Chapter 11- Family Matters

**_**After S6E11 Appointment in Samarra, and Featuring scenes from S7E2 Hello, Cruel World**_**

After Sam got his soul back he started to notice the things he didn't care about without it. He noticed the way Dean leaned into Vampire hunts. He saw the way Dean watched over children playing nearby, searching for familiar faces. He was aware of Dean racing up the porch stairs at Bobby's two at a time whenever a blue Chevelle was parked outside. He watched his elder brother's shoulders drop when he noticed the counter was clear of Baileigh's favourite mug and any trace of her special coffee ingredients.

"Dean..." Sam tried to talk to his brother, but Dean ignored him and stomped through the house looking for another sign of Baileigh or Sarah. "Dean, just call her."

"Who?"

"Baileigh," Sam replied incredulous. "You obviously miss her. You're searching around like a dog searching for his best friend."

 _Bobby must be borrowing her car again, Dean_ thought. He leaned back against the kitchen counter. "I can't Sam. You should have seen her when I sent her away. And the last time I saw her... that was almost a year ago." He sighed disheartened. "No Sam. She doesn't want to see me."

 _Sioux Falls, South Dakota-_ ** _September 30 2011_** _*Dean's trying to hold onto his sanity in the wake of Cas' death, as Sam loses his marbles and see's Lucifer*_

In Bobby's kitchen Bobby got up and stretched across the kitchen table from Dean, Sam was alone in the living room compulsively cleaning his gun. "You? How're you doin'?"

Dean leaned forward and spoke under his breath, "Seriously Bobby, it ain't like he's hexed ya' know, what if this is the kinda' crazy ya' can't fix?"

"Yeah. I know. I'm worried too." He shook his head. "But humour me for a second, how are you?"

"Who cares?" Dean replied shaking his head. "Don't ya' think our mailbox is a little full right now? I'm fine."

"Right. And weren't you pissed at him when he said the same thing just a couple hours before he spilled his marbles all over the floor."

"I'm not Sam, k? I keep my marbles in a lead friggin' box. I'm fine. Really."

"'Course. Just lost one of the best friends you ever had, your brother's in the bell jar and purgatory's most wanted are surfin' the sewer lines but yeah, yeah, I get it, right. You're, you're _fine_."

 _ **An hour later,**_

There was a knock on the back door and Bobby rocked back on the heels of his feet. He raised his eyebrows at Sam who returned his look confused. "C'mon in!"

The back door creaked open and in stepped a woman in a blue plaid shirt, with dark blue jeans and her favourite bright red Chucks. Her long sandy brown hair was pleated into a braid cascading down the side of her neck. Without looking up, Baileigh walked in and held the door for Sarah as she sauntered in calling for 'Uncle Bobby.' Baileigh held the door open and followed Sarah who stopped in the center of the kitchen. She stared at the two tall men standing near Bobby in surprise. Baileigh froze too- she wasn't expecting the Winchesters.

Baileigh looked from a surprised and confused Sam, to a stunned Dean and finally to Bobby who looked a little too proud and not nearly guilty enough about arranging this surprise meeting. She raised an accusatory eyebrow at Bobby as Sarah recognized Dean and raced at him shouting gleefully. Sarah ran happily at Dean who opened his arms for her instinctively and scooped her up, hugging her tight.

"I can't believe how big you are!" Dean said amazed by the little girl.

She looked at him in surprise, grabbed his face and said, "I can't beliebe" -she still hadn't figured out how to pronounce v's- "how big _you_ are." He laughed.

"When did you start talking?" Dean was almost taken aback.

She looked at him as if he were being silly- as if she was born able to talk. "So many ago Dean," she said shaking her head, "so many ago." Dean laughed and looked to Baileigh whose mouth was screwed up trying not to laugh at the adorable little girl.

"So many?" he wondered.

"Yep," she confirmed and then her attention was lost as she looked around the room and noticed Sam and Bobby.

"Sam and I will watch Sarah and give you two time to catch up," said Bobby. Dean gave Bobby a cautious look. _Watch Sam too-_ is what it meant. Bobby nodded. Sam looked at Dean encouragingly and nodded toward Baileigh excited before following Bobby down the hall after Sarah as she chatted about nonsense that had happened at daycare.

Baileigh and Dean stood in the kitchen with nothing to say. Baileigh made the first move, and left the house. This time Dean followed her retreat. Contrary to how it seemed, Baileigh wasn't running away, instead she was casually walking around the salvage yard where they were both more comfortable. Dean caught up easily and matched her pace.

"Sarah's so big," Dean said eventually.

"She's almost four and a half."

"She looks amazing. Good job."

"It's not easy," she said as she dug her hands into her front pockets, "but thanks." They continued their circuit of the yard; Dean opening his mouth to talk and closing it several times before Baileigh sat on the back hatch of a pick-up truck. "How are you doing? I hope Lisa and Ben are okay." Dean looked confused. She looked at him friendly, "You wouldn't have followed me if you were still with them." She thought back to the last time she had seen Dean and he hadn't chased after her. "Are they okay?" She asked again. Dean nodded. "Are you?" Dean scuffed the sole of his shoe in the gravel and shrugged. "It's not just them is it?" she asked, and Dean shook his head. Baileigh hopped down from the back of the truck and hugged Dean around the middle. "I'm sorry," she said holding him. Dean's head rested on her shoulder. Her hair still smelled of baby powder and pine-freshness, with a hint of armor-all. He relaxed slightly and wrapped his hands gently around her waist, letting her hold him.

When she let go Baileigh hopped back into the back of the truck and pat the tailgate inviting him to join her.

"I'm so sorry Lee."

"For what?" she asked remembering the last time they had this conversation.

"I was a coward," he said quietly. It was hard to admit. "I thought I was being selfish by being with you and that you were safer without me and I didn't know how else to give you that chance."

"You need to grow up Dean."

"What?"

"Grown ups talk about their fears. For example: I'm afraid vampires are going to come for me and Sarah, or worse, just me and leave Sarah to grow up without a family," she fought not to add 'again.'

"I won't let that happen."

"I'm being serious Dean."

"So am I."

"Okay," she sighed, "if you're serious, tell me the truth, do you still love Lisa?" The question caught Dean off guard, and he took a moment to consider how to answer. She wasn't trying to be cruel or nasty and Dean could tell, despite not understanding why she would ask that question. When he didn't answer, Baileigh nodded. "That's what I thought." She was matter of fact and rational rather than emotional when she continued, "you shouldn't feel guilty that you love her."

"But I still love you too," Dean replied very quietly. His voice cracked as he spoke.

"I'm glad to hear that." The smile that spread across her face made her light eyes sparkle.

"I never stopped thinking about you two," Dean explained. He had expected Baileigh to smile at that, but she didn't.

"That's what I'm afraid of. You were with someone else and still loved me." She lay back in the truck bed. "I never stopped loving you. I tried." She blushed. "I tried really hard, but I couldn't and that's why I never found anyone else. It wouldn't have been fair to them." She sat back up and looked at Dean apologetically. "I won't pretend to know anything about you and Lisa, but I've lost a lot of people in my life. If there's one thing I'm good at it's dealing with loss, what I can't deal with is you leaving or pushing me away again." Dean stayed quiet as she spoke, listening carefully. "I miss you Dean and I'm not going anywhere, but I can't be with you until you're over Lisa and Ben."

"They don't even know who I am anymore," Dean rebutted.

She waved, "It doesn't matter. I get that there will always be a place for them in your heart." The smile returned to her cheeks, "I don't need your whole heart Dean, but Sarah and I need part of the majority, and until you're ready for that we'll just be friends. Okay?"

"Sounds fair." Relief flooded Dean's body. His shoulders relaxed and he lay back in the back of the truck and closed his eyes.

"Oh, and you can't push me away 'for my own good' anymore. I'm not stupid. If something's dangerous, tell me. I'll listen."

Dean nodded, his eyes still closed. "I really do love you."

She planted a sweet, quick kiss on his lips. "I know," and hopped out of the truck headed back to the house. Dean followed behind her a few paces watching as she skipped from foot to foot as she walked happily.

Inside they found the kitchen was empty, but they heard voices in the living room. When they entered, Sam and Bobby were standing around looking confused and a little frightened. The carpet was rolled up and Sarah was lying in the middle of an old, orange spray-painted devil's trap, rolling around, growling and spitting.

"What's going on?" Baileigh asked wondering if she should be worried.

Sam piped up, "she found the devil's trap on the floor and when Bobby explained how it's used to trap 'monsters' she started pretending to be a monster. She says she's trapped and won't come out." He grimaced as she pretended to walk around the circle unable to get out, stomping her feet demanding to be set free.

Bobby wasn't moving. His arms were crossed over his chest and he didn't blink as he watched. "It's a bizarre combination of adorable and terrifying."

Dean stepped forward and addressed 'monster Sarah'. "Monster," he called, and Sarah turned with all of her attention on Dean, "we can't let you out, not till you're regular Sarah again. Got it?" Sarah hissed playfully. Her toes danced at the edge of the circle. Dean pulled a bottle of Holy Water from a nearby shelf. "Monsters hate this stuff, and when I spray you, you're going to let her go and turn back to normal. Understood?" Sarah nodded as Dean sprinkled her with Holy Water. Like the Wicked Witch of the West, Sarah cried out, melted and splayed out on the floor in the middle of the devil's trap dramatically. "Sarah?"

The little girl's eyes blinked open and she rolled over and ran at Dean happily. Picking her up, Dean looked to Baileigh who was distracted by a quiet conversation with Bobby, "You two okay?" Bobby asked.

She smiled looking at Sarah who was flailing out of Dean's arms trying to reach his brother who still looked a little afraid of her. "We're talking again, and that's a good start."


	12. Chapter 12- House Call

Dean took his time to deal with the loss of Lisa and Ben, but he didn't do it alone. Although Lisa and Ben only remembered him as the guy who crashed into their car, Dean would always remember the year he spent with them. Baileigh made sure she was available to comfort him when he needed it, whether that meant lending him an ear, or taking him out for target practice, which meant she was around Singer's Salvage almost as much as she had been before he sent her away. But when Bobby's house was burned down they had nowhere to meet up anymore and the frequent visits stopped. Baileigh still lived in Chicago, while Bobby, Sam and Dean were living out of motel rooms or an old cabin in the woods. She and Dean still talked over the phone on occasion, but didn't see much of each other for a while.

Lisa and Ben don't remember Dean.

Castiel was gone.

Baileigh was in Chicago.

And then Bobby died.

The Winchesters spent two weeks in near silence after Bobby died. Dean spoke only twice during that time; first, when he called Baileigh with the bad news and second, when he called out for Bobby as he woke from a nightmare.

 _Whitefish, Montana-_ _ **December 2011 **After S7E10 Death's Door****_

"Hello?" Baileigh said answering her phone. The phone line stayed quiet. "Dean?" She knew it was him from the caller ID.

"Lee..." Dean croaked. His voice was hoarse and unused- he'd been dreading making this phone call for days. "Bobby's gone." He heard Baileigh gasp on the other end of the line. "So, you're not going to hear from me for a while."

On her end, Baileigh nodded and realized he couldn't see her. "Okay," she said holding back tears. John's voice echoed in her mind, as if he were in the room with her, telling Baileigh to _be brave_. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

 **Click.**

It took months before Dean called Baileigh again. He found it hard enough trying to get over Lisa and Ben, but getting over them, and the loss of Castiel and Bobby was too much. Dealing with all of that, at the same time as Leviathans copied the Winchester's faces- putting them on the 'Most Wanted' lists- while Sam continued to drop marbles like breadcrumbs.

 _Chicago, Illinois-_ _ **April 2012 **After S7E20 The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo****_

The next time Dean saw Baileigh, he drove up to her house in Chicago, parked the Impala in the driveway beside her Chevelle and ran up to the front door. It was the middle of the night, no lights were on inside. He beat on the front door with both fists shouting for her to open up.

The door was answered by an angry looking Baileigh, in her pyjamas, holding a baseball bat. She looked very surprised to see him.

"Dean?" she asked putting down the bat and wiping sleep from his eyes. "What the hell's your problem? I was ready to kick your ass!"

"It's my friend. You gotta' help her," he said leading Baileigh back to the car.

She followed him in bare feet down the driveway and peeked through the back seat window of the Impala. "Charlie?" she exclaimed. She glared at Dean in disapproval. He took a weary step back.

Lying in the backseat Charlie looked up groggy. Her vision was blurring from the pain in her arm. She recognized Baileigh's face in the window and said in surprise, "Baileigh? What are you doing here?"

"You two know each other?" Dean and Sam asked in unison.

Baileigh nodded and ushered them into the house. "Get her inside so I can take a look."

Sam carried Charlie inside followed by Dean who closed Baileigh's front door gently behind him. Sam carefully lowered Charlie to the couch where Baileigh quickly diagnosed the situation. Charlie was holding her arm tight, her shoulder was dangling uncomfortably from its socket, obviously dislocated. She asked a series of questions as she checked for any other less visible issues, "What happened? Did you hit your head at any point?" Baileigh tested Charlie's pupillary response to light and listed as Charlie answered all of her questions- she was alert, aware and had no sign of concussion- the dislocated shoulder was the worst of her injuries.

"You're shoulder is dislocated, and it's going to hurt, a lot, when I put it back in its socket." Baileigh explained. Charlie nodded. Behind her, the Winchesters grimaced. "On the count of three alright?" Baileigh counted slowly, but before she got to three Baileigh had already snapped the shouolder back into place. She apologized for the surprise when Charlie cried out in pain, "Sorry. I figured it would hurt less if you weren't expecting it."

Charlie made a face. "Then it _really_ would have hurt on three."

Which Charlie's arm back in position Baileigh turned on the boys trying to to sound as angry as she was. "Are you two alright?" As they nodded she noticed all the cuts that covered their hands and forearms. She nodded disbelieving, "sure you are. I'll get some antiseptic and clean those up. Dean, come with me." Dean swallowed a nervous lump in the throat. "Sam, there's beer in the fridge, help yourself. And Charlie," she said sweetly, "sit tight. I'll be back before you can say 'Accio Painkillers'."

"Lee," Dean started, but Baileigh cut him off.

"You remember where the extra blanket are?" she asked. Dean nodded, she pointed anyway. "Bottom shelf. Extra pillows are in the hutch in the living room. Charlie can have my room. You and Sam can take the couches."

"We're not staying," Dean refused.

Baileigh spun, hands on her hips, and snapped, "then tell Sam to put the beer back in the fridge and get out of my house." Dean didn't know how to reply. "Charlie can't go anywhere right now. So, either you leave Charlie, or you can all get some rest and a home cooked breakfast in the morning. Now, take the extra blankets downstairs. I'll be down in a minute."

Dean exhaled heavily but did as he was told.

A small squeak of a groan pulled Baileigh into the second bedroom. Inside the lavender coloured room Sarah was awake and rubbing her eyes. "If you promise to go back to sleep you can go say hi to our guests, k?" Sarah made her way downstairs as Baileigh gathered a sling, cotton balls, tweasers, antiseptic and painkillers from the bathroom. She heard Sarah's delighted voice when she recognized everyone in the living room. Sarah was scooped up in Dean's arms, looking at Charlie with concern when Baileigh rejoined the group.

"What happened?" Sarah asked.

"Charlie was a hero today." Dean replied proudly. "She saved both my life, and Sam's."

"But even heroes get hurt," said Baileigh passing a cup of water and a couple painkillers to Charlie. As Charlie took a swig of the water Baileigh finished fastening the sling over her shoulder supporting her injured arm. "You have my room." She explained to the yawning red head. "I'm staying with Sarah tonight."

"No, no. It's fine, I'll just..." Charlie tried to refuse.

"Charlie, I'm telling, not asking."

"Yes Master Chief." Charlie saluted with her uninjured hand. She regarded everyone in the room, "Can I go up now? It's been a very long day."

" 'Course." They all replied.

As Charlie ascended the stairs toward the master bedroom, Baileigh turned to Sarah, still in Dean's arms. "Alright young lady, back to bed." Sarah frowned and tightened her grip around Dean's shoulders.

"Don't worry kiddo. We'll still be here in the morning," Dean said encouragingly. Sarah gave him a tight hug and a goodnight kiss on the cheek before running over to Sam and hugging him too.

Sarah's footsteps faded upstairs before Baileigh held a hand out for a beer. Sam opened a bottle and passed it over. She took a sip and said, "Please tell me I don't have to start worrying about her too." The Winchesters shared a guilty glance. "Dammit." Baileigh burried her face in a pillow. Her shoulders slouched forward but she wasn't shaking.

"Lee?" Dean took a seat next to her. "You okay?"

Baileigh nodded into the pillow. "I just..." She looked up and forced a small smile. "She's my best friend here. And now I'm going to lose her."

"She's fine Baileigh." Sam's soft, reassuring voice added, "she's just a little banged up."

"I know she's fine, but she's going to move way now, and I'll have to find a new friend."

"Why would you say that?"

Baileigh raised an eyebrow challenging Sam. "I know my best friend, she'll be running the first chance she gets."

When the conversation died Sam excused himself and went to the bathroom leaving Baileigh and Dean alone in the living room.

"I haven't heard from you i na while. How are you?"

"Tired," said Dean. "You?"

"Honestly. my heart's beating so fast I can't remember." Baileigh smiled. "It's really good to see you." She leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes- she was exhausted too.

"You have no idea," Dean said softly kissing the top of her head. Baileigh shivered slightly, her eyes still closed, and didn't notice as the light flickered and Bobby's ghost appeared in front of the couch. Bobby grabbed a blanket from the pile Dean had brought down and draped it over her. Baileigh snuggled into Dean's side comfortably. Dean smiled, silently thanking him. Bobby crossed his arms happily.

Sam returned to see Dean and Baileigh snuggled on one of the couches, with Bobby standing in front of them proudly. Sam watched Bobby fllciker out of sight as he whispered to Dean, "Never leave her again ya' idjit."


	13. Chapter 13- The Queen's Secret

After their reunion in Chicago, Dean and Baileigh had one month of the closest thing to a normal relationship that they had ever had, and then Dean went and ruined it all when he killed Dick Roman and got himself sucked into Purgatory.

When Dean and Castiel disappeared and Crowley took off with Kevin and Meg, Sam found himself utterly alone. He got in the Impala and drove. He kept driving for a long time until finally settling in Texas, where he found part-time work outside of the 'family business'. He left the life of a Hunter behind him, he hit a dog, he met a girl and he forgot about his phones; so he didn't get any of the messages that were left for him.

 _Whitefish, Montana- **October 2012 **S8E1 We Need to Talk About Kevin****_

A year later when Dean popped up in Main, Sam was overjoyed to hear from his older brother, but unprepared for the fight ahead. The Winchester's reunion was not an easy one. They met at Rufus' old cabin in the woods in Whitefish Montana. The first thing Dean did; even before hugging his brother, was pin Sam to the ground and spray him with Holy Water and Borax before cutting his arm with a silver blade.

Sam was even less prepared for the "You didn't look for me?" lecture, which preceded the "You're not hunting anymore?" fight.

Dean stomped around the cabin finding Sam's old phones to see what they'd had missed out on. He charged them quickly and shuffled through the voice mails. As he listened to the voice recordings, Dean grew more and more upset. He stared at his brother deadpanned.

"What?" Sam asked eating his dinner.

Dean didn't say anything, but he played the recordings on speaker phone.

"Hey Sam, it's Kevin..." Went the first voice mail calling for help.

"Sam? It's Kevin, call me back." Went the second.

"WASSUP? It's Kevin!" Went the third- all Sam's voice mails were calling out for help.

"He was _our_ responsibility and you couldn't answer the damned phone." Dean's lips pursed and his eyebrows knit together unhappily, but when the next message played Dean's furious calm was tested.

"Sam, it's me." Baileigh's voice sounded panicked. "I haven't heard from either of you in a few months... God I hope you're both okay, but I have this terrible feeling that _something's_ following me. I think I need some help. Call me back."

Dean's deep voice thundered through the log cabin, "You didn't even call Baileigh?" He threw the phone at his brother. "This was eight months ago! And in eight months it didn't occur to you to tell my girls that I was missing? If they're dead Sam..." He paused. "...I'll never forgive you for this." He grabbed his phone. "Find Kevin," he said pointing to Sam's phone while he shuffled through his contacts trying to remember Baileigh's number.

" _The number you have dialed is no longer in service,_ " repeated the automated voice on the other end of the line.

"Dammit!" Dean cursed.

With some effort Sam and Dean were able to track Kevin to a safe house in a church in Fairfield, Iowa but finding Baileigh was much harder. Scrolling through the online news papers Sam came across an article that gave him chills. "Uhh... Dean, I think you should see this." He said trying to swallow with a dry mouth.

"What?" Dean read the article over Sam's shoulder.

 **Residential Bloodbath.**

 _Family of two dies in bloodbath and house fire- Chicago, Illinois._

"No way." Dean didn't even realize he spoke those words aloud. They kept reading.

 _The charred remains of a mother and her young daughter were found in the wake of a domestic attack in their own home in Chicago, Illinois late on Thursday night. Police suspect the attackers set the house on fire to destroy all evidence of the attack. So far, no arrests have been made. Police are seeking any information that could relate to this attack and arson._

Dean's hands were shaking. "No. No, no, no, no." He backed away from Sam and paced the living room. Sam got up and watched him.

"I'm so sorry Dean." It was the most sincere Dean had heard Sam since before he had come back from Hell. Dean turned on Sam who flinched. For a second, Sam thought Dean was going to punch him- and for a moment Dean wanted to. Instead, Dean closed his eyes and rested his forehead on his younger brother's chest. He pushed all of his weight against Sam, and Sam held him up repeating, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Dean wanted to be mad at Sam, but he couldn't, not really. Dean was the one who hadn't been there for Baileigh. Even if Sam had gotten her message, there wasn't much he could have done against a nest of vampires by himself from several states over. Baileigh had been hunted her whole life, she knew what was coming for her, Dean just wished he had been able to keep her from it.

 _Farmington Hills, Michigan-_ _ **January 23 2013 **Featuring S8E11 LARP and the Real Girl****_

After finding Charlie LARPing as Queen of the Moon in Moondoor, the Winchesters split up to find more information about how two allies of the Moon Kingdom died. After Sam leaves to find the tech tent, Charlie makes Dean wear clothing more appropriate for a squire of the Queen of the Moon. As he tightened the buckles on his leather arm bracers Charlie piped up in the corner, "You sent Sam a phantom text from his ex? Dick move Sir."

"Yeah, not my finest hour." Dean sighed regretfully.

"So he found some normalcy with this chick and now it's gone. Again. Thanks to you."

Dean shook his head, "Yeah well now he's more committed than ever, so there's that. Trust me this life..." he shook his head solemn, "...you can't afford attachments. You just gotta' let go."

"Are we still talking about Sam? Or did you break up with someone too?"

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"No." He shook his head sadly.

Charlie stood upset in disbelief. "Did you break up with Baileigh?"

"No I didn't." He held up his hands defensive.

"You did! I see it written all over your face! Don't make me cast a truth spell on you Dean!"

"I didn't break up with her Charlie," he said softly, "Baileigh died."

"What?"

"Yeah, they were attacked and the house burned down." His throat tightened up as he talked about it.

"What? No, oh my God Dean! They're fine! That was just a cover up. You know, to throw the vamps off her trail so she could go into hiding somewhere else." Charlie approached Dean and put both hands on his chest as she looked up into his eyes to reassure him.

"They're alive?" Dean didn't believe her.

"Yeah." Charlie's big eyes were soft and pitiful.

"Baileigh and Sarah? You're sure?"

"I faked the death certificates myself. I got them new IDs, set up Baileigh with a new job. She emailed me the other day."

Dean scooped up Charlie in a big bear hug grateful that Charlie was still around to look after Baileigh, even when he couldn't- and Sam didn't. God bless Charlie Bradbury.

"How do you not know this?" she asked surprised.

"Short version? I've been stuck in Purgatory for the last 12 months and Sam found 'normalcy' as you put it."

Charlie 'tsk-ed'. "I see. So she doesn't know you're alive either?" Dean shook his head. "Oh. Well, then I'll hook you up with her digits." She scrunched up her nose in excitement, then paused, "After we save Moondoor."

Dean grinned. "Deal."

 _Cawker City, Kansas- **January 27 2013**_

After solving the case in Michigan with Charlie, Dean and Sam headed to Cawker City Kansas. Charlie had said Baileigh now lived and worked in Cawker City, at Carmichael's Auto Body Shop and went by the name Rosanne Scott.

It was just after lunch when Sam dropped Dean at Carmichael's and left him alone until he called for a ride. Dean looked around outside but there was no familiar blue Chevelle in the auto body shop's parking lot; no light blue minivan either. The only car in the lot was a slate grey 1969 Dodge Charger. _Maybe it's her day off_ , he wondered.

Dean wandered nervously into the auto body shop looking for pictures on the walls, or any other clues that Baileigh actually worked there. At the front there was a counter with a bell and a hand written sign that read _'If you don't see me, I'm busy. Do NOT ring the bell.'_ Dean toyed with the idea of ringing the bell as he waited for someone to notice him at the counter. He almost tapped the bell when a mechanic with dark hair tied in a messy bun under a twisted red handkerchief, wearing blue coveralls rolled out from under the body of a gold sedan.

He cleared his throat trying to get her attention.

"The boss stepped out for lunch," she said without looking over as she scanned her toolbox. "He'll be back in 5, if you wanna come back."

"Actually I just have some questions."

"I don't answer questions. I just fix cars." She disappeared back under the sedan. Hearing the exchange in the auto bay a man walked in like he was the boss and stood at the counter finishing the last bites if his sandwich. He smiled friendly, "Welcome to Carmichael's. Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I'm looking for 'Rosanne'."

"Who?" The man looked taken aback. "You mean Rosie?"

"Uh, sure." Dean said cautiously. "Does she work here?"

"Yeah." Again he looked very confused. "You were just talking to her." The boss indicated with a thumb the feet under the gold 's shoulders drooped.

"Rosie!" The boss called out. "Someone to see ya'." Reluctantly the dark haired woman rolled out from under the sedan and approached the desk.

"What?" she asked abruptly, rubbing the sweat from her brow, accidentally leaving a grease smudge across her forehead. But when her light eyes met Dean's she dropped the wrench she was holding. It fell to the concrete floor with a clang.

In a flash the mechanic had jumped over the counter, kicked Dean in the gut, wrestled him to the ground and was sitting on his chest with a pocket knife pressed against his throat. "What are you?" she shouted.

Dean gasped. He was stunned, like the boss behind the counter who ran out and was yelling for his employee to stop. "Rosie what the hell?" the boss shouted.

The dark haired mechanic's eyes narrowed under her thin dark eyebrows, but the colour of her eyes, the curve of her nose and the shape of her lips was familiar to Dean, "Lee?" he croaked, recognizing her under the blue jumpsuit and died hair. "Lee!" he gasped finally letting himself believe she was alive.

"Dean?" She did not release her grip on him.

"Yeah." He tried to shake his head, but the blade at his throat made it impossible to move without injury. The boss was trying to pull his mechanic off of Dean when Baileigh pulled the knife away from Dean's throat and turned it on him, cursing. With arms raised in surrender, he stepped back a few paces.

Baileigh stowed the knife back in her pocket and proceeded to punch Dean in the chest repeatedly. "What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong. With. You?" She said each word between blows. "I. Thought. You. Were. Dead. You. Jackass!" The boss stepped in when her shoulders started shaking and finally succeeded in pulling her off of Dean. She struggled to get free, but the boss' grip was tight.

"Let her go." Dean said in his deep, protective voice. The boss was confused, but Dean's tone; reminiscent of the ferocity and authority of his father's, left no room for contestation. Baileigh's boss released her arms and she fell to her knees on the hard floor with tears pouring down her face.

Dean knelt in front of her and held her face in his hands. "It's me Lee." She still wasn't sure if this was the real Dean. He looked right, he smelled the same, but when he leaned in and gently kissed her forehead the way that only Dean Winchester could, she needed no more convincing. She lunged at him, arms wide and kissed him passionately.

The boss watched still confused, unsure if he still needed to call the police.

When they broke apart Dean glanced down at the embroidered name on the pocket of her coveralls. "Rosie?" he asked playfully, "as in Rosie the Riveter?" He raised an eyebrow.

Baileigh giggled. "No one else gets the joke."


	14. Chapter 14- The 1st Trial

_Warsaw, Missouri-_ ** _February 8th 2013 **After S8E13 Everybody Hates Hitler**_**

Dean took long strides back toward the Impala, leaving Sam and a very sick looking Kevin alone on Garth's 'safe-house _boat_ '. His boat, _Fizzles' Folly_ , was docked in Warsaw, Missouri and as he looked back at the creaking, rusted, floating scrap heap, covered in bloody anti-demon protection sigils he dialed Baileigh's number.

She picked up her phone sounding as perky as ever. "Morning! How's the new place treating you? You get your room set up yet?" she teased. He had been a little too excited about having his own room in the Bunker the last time they had seen each other, but Dean didn't hear the joke. He was ready to tell her all about his new memory foam mattress when the floating deathtrap behind him brought him back to the present.

"It's great," he said. "I'm actually not there right now. We got a call from Kevin." The moment he brought up Kevin's name Baileigh realized this was a serious kind of phone call.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." Dean sighed. "Sort of. He's made some breakthrough's with his _project._ But geeze Lee, he's skin and bones and looks almost as pale. The kid's killin' himself for this." Baileigh stayed quiet but sighed heavily. "I'm just going into town to grab him something a little healthier than hot dogs..."

"Hot dogs?"

"Yeah, the kid's been living off of them." Dean sighed turning the key in the ignition. Baileigh was uncomfortably silent. "Lee?"

"I wish I could help."

"There's nothing you can do."

"Look, I know you can't tell me where he is, but if I cook up a bunch of meals you could bring them to him. He has a fridge and a stove right?" She suggested desperate to be helpful.

Dean chuckled. Baileigh always found a way to help out. "Yeah Lee. That would be great. Say hi to Sarah for me."

 **Click.**

 _Just outside of Salt Lake City on the road to Shoshone, Idaho-_ _ **February 9th 2013**_

Dean turned down the volume of the Impala's radio as he sat waiting outside a Chevron gas station drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Sam was inside getting snacks; he could clearly see him towering over the rest of the people lined up at the cash register. He was going to be a while. Sam looked out the window and shrugged.

Dean took the moment alone to call Baileigh.

"Hey," she said cheerfully, "so I got a little carried away. My fridge and freezer are both full of casseroles, and two different kinds of lasagna, a beef broth stew and some chili. I made enough to last Kevin a couple weeks and some extras for you and Sam. I figure you two probably don't have much in your pantry yet, and I know you almost never have time for groceries, so this way, at least you won't starve the next time you go home." She smiled into the receiver.

"Baileigh,"

"What?" The use of her full name put her on alert and all of her cheeriness faded away.

"You're amazing. Kevin will really appreciate all your hard work," He paused, "but my life's about to get very busy."

"Okay..." Baileigh's answer was reserved. She was waiting for a punch in the gut.

"Kevin found out how to close the Gates of Hell." Dean almost laughed. "We can do it Lee."

"Wow. That's amazing," she said unable to fake enthusiasm. She understood how big of a deal this was but she also understood how dangerous it could be. She'd only had him back a little less than 2 weeks...

"So... uhh... You might not see me for a while." He didn't say ' _or ever'_ even though he thought it. He knew closing the Gates of Hell was a one way trip. The Trials weren't going to be a walk in the park, unless that walk was walking a hungry Hell Hound through Purgatory wearing a steak around your neck with a broken leg.

"Try to be safe."

Sam had finished paying inside and was carrying a full armful of drinks and snacks to get the rest of the way to Idaho. Before Sam reached the car Dean rushed to finish his phone call. "Say bye to Sarah for me."

"I can go get her and you can say hi yoursel..." **Click.** Dean hung up the phone and put it back into his pocket.

"Who was that?" Sam asked closing his door and nodding toward Dean's pocket.

"Oh, uh..." He cleared his throat and turned on the car. He turned away from Sam as he reversed out of the gas station. Sam barely had time to fasten his seat belt before Dean was driving off. "...just Kevin. He thought he found something new, but he didn't." He cleared his throat again.

"You okay?" Sam looked to his brother worried. But Dean flashed him a trickster's smile.

"Are you kidding? Trials, Hell Hounds, Hell bound rich guys, Crossroads Douche Bags? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

Sam raised his eyebrows unconvinced but held his tongue and silently offered his brother a bag of jerky.

 _Shoshone, Idaho-_ _ **February 13th 2013 **Featuring S8E14 Trial and Error****_

The Cassity's sat in their living room in quiet contempt as Dean finished covering all the doorways and windows with Goofer Dust to protect everyone inside from the Hell Hound coming to collect one of their souls.

"So what's our play?" Sam asked.

"You camp here. See if you can't figure out who whored their soul." He nodded toward the rich family glaring at each other in the room behind them. "I'm gonna see if I can't gank Huckleberry Hound before he makes his next move."

"Wait," Sam caught up with Dean as he marched away as if the conversation was over. "You're not going alone. Dean, I'm coming with you."

"Wrong." Dean refused.

"Uh... They're on lock down. _You_ need back up."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do!"

Dean turned on his brother. "No, I need you to be safe Sam. K? That's what I need."

"What? When am I... When are _we_ ever safe?"

"This is different."

"How?" Sam challenged his brother.

"Because of the 3 Trials crap. God's little obstacle course. We've been down this road before man, with yellow eyes, Lucifer, Dick-friggin'-Roman. We both know where this ends. One of us dies- _or worse_." He shrugged off some unimaginable memory.

"So what? You just up and decided it's going to be you?"

"I'm a grunt Sam!" He shook his head. "You're not. You've always been the brains of this operation and you told me yourself that you see a way out. You see a light at the end of this ugly-ass tunnel. I don't." Dean sighed and continued before Sam could interrupt him. "I'll tell you what I do know- that I'm gonna die with a gun in my hand. That's what I have waiting for me. That's _all_ I have waiting for me. I want _you_ to get out. I want you to have a life. Become a Men of Letters, whatever. You- with a wife and kids, and grand kids, livin' till you're fat and bald and chuggin' Viagra. That's my perfect ending. And it's the only one I'm gonna get. So, I'm gonna go do these Trials. I'm gonna do them alone. End of story. You're stayin' in here. I'm goin' out there. If land-shark comes knockin' you call me. If you try to follow me... I'ma put a bullet in your damn leg." He stared, daring Sam to test him and walked off.

 *****Shortly thereafter ***** Dean goes after the Hell Hound, get's his abdomen ripped apart in the process, loses his knife and the glasses scorched with Holy Fire that helped him see the invisible monster.

He could feel the Hell Hound's warm breath as it stood over him and saw the irony of 'staring Death in the face' in the form of an invisible beast that was about to kill him. Then Sam came in, shot the Hell Hound, grabbed Dean's knife and slit the giant dog's throat.

Back in their room, drenched in Hell Hound's blood Sam watched as Ellie, the grounds keeper, patched up the gashes in Dean's side.

"You should go to a Hospital," she remarked as he stood up and groaned. He waved off her concern.

"I've had worse."

She turned to Sam who nodded. "He has."

Dean asked for some privacy while he read the spell of the 1st of the 3 Trials. When the spell didn't work Dean turned to plan B. "Doesn't matter. We'll track down another Hell Hound and _I'll_ kill it."

"No."

"Sam I didn't pass the test!"

"But I did." Sam took a step closer to Dean. "And I'm doing the rest of them."

"My ass you are!" Dean shouted.

"Closing the Gates. It's a suicide mission for you."

"Sam," Dean tried to interrupt but Sam cut him off.

"I want to slam Hell shut too Okay? But I want to survive it. I want to live. And so should you. You have friends up here, you have family- hell, you've got your own room now. You're right k? I do see a light at the end of this tunnel, and I'm sorry you don't, I am, but it's there and if you come with me I can take you to it."

"Sam be smart."

"I am smart Dean! And so are you." He sighed and wished his brother really heard what he was trying to tell him. "You're not a grunt Dean, you're a genius. When it comes to Lore, to... you're the best damn Hunter I've ever seen, better than me, better than Dad. I believe in you Dean. So please, please believe in me too."

Dean reluctantly handed Sam the spell and Sam chants "Kah Nah Am Dah" before falling to the floor as pain rushed up his arms and into the back of his brain burning right behind his eyes.

As they left, Dean watched Sam as he climbed into the Impala, watching for any sign that he was struggling. Sam showed no sign but Dean was not convinced. They drove off in silence; except for the occasional wince and groan from Dean as he moved and pulled at the gashes in his side. Dean did not look over at Sam, not even when he spoke.

"You know that perfect ending you see? Me with a wife, and kids, fat, old and surrounded by grand kids?" Dean grunted his acknowledgement. "I see that for you too. _You_ have a family here, your life has already started. You and Baileigh and Sarah. And I imagine all the same things for you: you and Baileigh, with Sarah grown up and dating some guy you hate; you walking her down the aisle at her wedding- to the the same guy, and making amends after a fight at Christmas dinner. You, getting old and fat and of course going bald first." He took a moment imagining it. "I couldn't let you give up the chance to fight for that. You deserve it Dean, and I will do whatever I can to see it happen."

The only noise Dean made was to clear a lump from his throat.

"Don't worry, Dean." Sam smiled at his brother. "I'll be there to help you chase Sarah's boyfriends out of town if they ever mess with her." He looked to his older brother waiting for approval. Dean laughed and clutched his gut, wincing in pain. Sam winced as if he could feel Dean's pain. "Maybe we should get you to a Hospital," Sam wondered.

"Nah." Dean wheezed. "Baileigh'll stitch me up when we get home." Dean still didn't look at his brother, but Sam saw a small smile crease his cheeks and knew Dean had heard him.


	15. Chapter 15- Sanctuary

_Cawker City, Kansas-_ _ **February 15th 2013 **After S8E15 Trial and Error****_

Having just fought a Hell Hound and completing the first Trial to close the Gates of Hell, Sam and Dean put the pedal to the metal and drive all day back to Kansas.

The Impala rumbled into the driveway of a small house and came to a stop beside a slate grey 1969 Dodge Charger. Sam jumped out of the car; he'd had to drive for the last half day, put a hand under Dean's shoulder and helped him up to the front door- the long car ride hadn't helped Dean's injuries.

The sky was still dark, the sun was still sleeping below the horizon when the younger Winchester knocked on the front door. The door opened instantly. "What the hell Dean?" She had heard the Impala's familiar rumble as it drove up the street. She'd groaned looking at the clock **4:03AM**. Grabbing her bathrobe, she threw it on over her worn out baseball t-shirt and light grey sweat shorts and stomped downstairs ready to give Dean a thorough tongue lashing. But when she opened the door to see Dean leaning against Sam; in a shredded shirt covered in dried blood, she immediately regretted her words.

"We couldn't go to the Hospital," Sam explained as she opened the door ushering them in from the cold.

"In the kitchen." Baileigh directed Sam as she pulled out a large first aid kit from the closet in the front hall. Sam did as he was told and sat Dean in a chair in the kitchen and backed up as Baileigh turned on all the lights and got close.

"Hey Lee." Dean wheezed as she pulled on a pair of gloves. Then, looking to his brother said, "Sam, you look exhausted. Have a nap in the living room. I'm in good hands." He grunted as he shifted in the chair.

Baileigh glanced up at Dean with an exasperated scowl, but had a smile on her face when she turned and spoke to Sam, "Lie down. I'll holler if I need a hand." When she turned back to Dean, Baileigh didn't ask 'what happened?' or 'what did you fight?', instead when Dean removed his shirt and she pulled back part of the bloody bandage holding his side together she just whistled. "This must have hurt."

Dean chuckled. "Nah, I barely feel it," he joked, but winced despite himself when she started cleaning out the large lacerations.

"Liar." She only smirked a half smile out of concern, but her eyes were soft and friendly. Baileigh had just started the sutures when Dean stiffened under her hand. "Sorry, did that hurt?" she asked, but Dean was looking past her down the hall at a little girl in dinosaur print pajamas.

Sarah's sleepy little voice called out a worried, "Dean?" as her stockinged feet shuffled closer. Her eyes were wet and Dean tried to move and hide his bloody torso from her. Baileigh scolded him for moving and turned to her daughter.

"It's okay Sarah. Dean's hurt, but I'm fixing him up. Wanna see?" Her voice was calm and soft; perfected after years of working emergencies, and was perfect for talking to a frightened child. Sarah nodded with a quivering lip and shuffled closer. Baileigh kissed her cheek and showed her the wound. "See?"

"Ewwww." Sarah whispered as Baileigh showed her how she was 'fixing' Dean.

"Not too deep, just a few cuts in the skin."

" _Big_ cuts." Sarah corrected with big eyes. Her lip trembled again and Dean held out a hand and pulled her into a side hug.

"It's okay Babygirl you don't have to worry about me. Your momma's fixin' me up real good." He squeezed her tight cheering her up a little.

In an attempt to distract her daughter from the mess in the kitchen Baileigh asked for a favour. "I can hear Sam snoring from the living room. Can you make sure he has a blanket?"

"Okay." Sarah scampered off quickly. She returned a few minutes later looking concerned.

Baileigh didn't notice; she was focused on finishing Dean's sutures, but Dean asked, "What's wrong?"

Sarah screwed up her face upset, "I couldn't make the blanket cover his toes."

Dean's laugh shook his whole body and he grabbed his side still chuckling. "He's always had that problem."

As Baileigh tied off the sutures and started to replace the bloody bandages with fresh ones she noticed Sarah trying to hide a yawn. "Honey, go back to bed. You've still got school in the morning." But the little girl looked nervously back at Dean who frowned.

"What? I'm fine." But Sarah wasn't convinced. Dean sighed. "Come here kiddo." When Sarah didn't move to Dean's open arm Baileigh rushed the bandage she was replacing; she would fix it later, removed her gloves and pulled Sarah into her arms as Dean fixed his shirt to hide most of the bandages.

"You know Dean has a very important job, and sometimes it's dangerous. He saves people and protects strangers from monsters," Baileigh explained. In her arms, Sarah nodded solemn. "But he's very good at it," she added proudly.

"And I've got Sammy watching my back. And when that isn't enough, I've got your mom to fix me up." He smiled at Baileigh who rocked Sarah from side to side. "Okay?" Sarah nodded, squeezed Dean tight and ran up to her room.

Baileigh yawned as she pulled up Dean's shirt and finished dressing his injuries. "Tomorrow I'll drop Sarah at school, then drop Sam at the Bunker on my way to Carmichael's and you can stay here and rest 'till I come home. I'll make dinner and if you're feeling up to it, then you can drive home."

"Oh." He didn't know what he was expecting; a fight, excuses, maybe for her to drop everything and spend the day taking care of him? Whatever he had expected, it was not for her to put him to bed and offer to make him dinner the next day.

"Come on. Sam's got the couch. I'll help you get upstairs."

 **Later that day**

The key clicked in the lock and the door swung open to a quiet house. The Impala was still parked in the driveway; covered in a layer of frost, so Baileigh knew Dean hadn't left. Normally she would have motioned for Sarah to stay quiet, but the little girl hadn't said anything since they left the school.

They took off their coats and boots. Baileigh led Sarah into the kitchen and sat her in one of the tall chairs at the breakfast bar and busied herself making Sarah's version of 'Mojo Juice'; hot chocolate and whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles. She put the milk in a pot on the stove to heat and pulled a small ice pack from the fridge, wrapped it in a clean dish towel and handed it across the counter.

They sipped their hot chocolate in silence. Baileigh couldn't think of anything other than _sorry_ to say as Sarah held the ice pack over a swollen nose. But _sorry_ was no use here, so she stayed quiet. Baileigh was surprised that Sarah didn't look bothered by the swollen nose, instead, she was taking after Baileigh; resilient and stubborn, holding the ice pack to her face without complaint.

They heard the creek of the loose floor board on the stairs and the girls in the kitchen shared a look. Sarah looked scared for the first time that day; she hadn't even been scared in the Principal's Office when her mom walked in still wearing her dirty blue coveralls. Baileigh raised her still dyed dark eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders cartoonishly. This was a new scenario in their household and neither of them knew what to expect when Dean entered the kitchen.

"Home already?" Dean asked looking at the clock on his phone: **12:40PM**.

"Mmm hmmm." Baileigh nodded.

"I thought you worked till four?" Dean said taking a seat beside Sarah. "Hey kiddo," he said off hand, nudging her in the side. Sarah turned away slightly to hide the ice pack and replied with a quiet 'hi'. "You have a half day or somethin'?" he wondered. When Sarah still didn't turn around as she answered 'no', Dean extended a foot and swiveled her chair to face him. "Hey! I don't even get a hug when you come home?" Baileigh rested her chin on her arms on the counter watching them. Sarah sat still while her chair spun. "What happened here?" He nodded to the ice pack.

"Nothing."

"Lemme see." He pulled the ice from her swollen nose and saw two dark purple bruises forming under her eyes. He whistled and let her put the ice pack back on her face. "That's not nothin'. What happened?" Sarah stayed quiet and Dean looked to her mother. "If you say she walked into a door, we need to talk," he teased, but his words were serious.

"She got punched by a boy in her class at recess," Baileigh said looking reassuringly at her daughter who was looking between Dean and her mother nervously.

"A _boy_ punched her?" Dean put the emphasis on 'boy', as if being punched by a girl wouldn't have been just as bad. "Why?" He paused, "Is he in the hospital?"

"What?"

"Did you _kill_ him?" He looked to Baileigh.

"He's 6 Dean, no I didn't _kill_ him," she rolled her eyes, "but the Principal called his parents and he's been sent home too."

Dean turned back to Sarah. "Did you kick his ass?"

"Dean!" Baileigh scolded.

"What?" he asked, but again Sarah just shook her head. "So, you get punched, you don't punch back and you get sent home too?" He huffed. "Man you're a good kid." Dean smiled at Sarah and ruffled her hair. "You did good Lee." He said looking at her proudly.

 _Cawker City, Kansas- **Still**_ _ **February 15th 2013**_

Baileigh had already loaded the trunk of the Impala with all the portioned meals she and Sarah had prepared for Kevin and for the boys. She raced back inside shivering and handed Dean his jacket and a to-go bag of fresh bandages. Sarah hugged her mother's side as Dean said goodbye to Baileigh and then looked down at Sarah.

"You stay outta' trouble kiddo." Sarah smiled wide despite the matching pair of purple and red bruises around her eyes.

"Bye Lee." They kissed in the doorway; Baileigh lingered while Dean forced himself to pull away. He had told her about the Trials- briefly- and he knew that it'd be a long time before he got to sit down to another meal with these two.

"Don't be a stranger," was all Baileigh said as Dean pulled away and closed the door behind him. The timer on the microwave went off and Sarah raced to the kitchen to pour freshly popped popcorn into a bowl, leaving Baileigh with her back to the front door listening to the Impala's engine as she rumbled down the street. Baileigh let her legs drop her slowly to the ground. She hugged her knees, dropped her shoulders and let her face rest on her arms.

"Mama?" Baileigh raised her head to see Sarah holding a big bowl of popcorn in her arms regarding her curiously. "What's wrong?"

"It's okay honey, I'll be fine. It's just getting harder to say goodbye." Sarah put the popcorn down and hugged her mom. "It's alright sweety." She inhaled deeply and stood up. "What are we watching tonight?" Baileigh asked composing herself.

 _Lebanon,_ _Kansas **\- March 27th 2013 **After S8E18 Freaks and Geeks****_

Dean followed Sam as he stumbled through the bunker toward his room.

"You hungry?" He called after Sam who shook his head. While Sam continued on to his room Dean ducked into the kitchen and reheated one of Baileigh's lasagnas. As the plate went around in the microwave he pulled out his phone.

"Hey Lee."

"Hi," Baileigh said excitedly on the other end of the line- they hadn't had much contact for a few weeks and the sound of his voice made her chest tighten. "How're you?"

"About to enjoy some of your cooking." He smiled at the phone as the microwave beeped.

"You're in town?" She was disappointed he hadn't dropped by- _he's working,_ she told herself.

"Yeah. Vamps. But it's okay, they're not lookin' for ya. Maybe lay low a bit just in case." He took a bite of his dinner. "How's your garden?"

"It's fine. I've got more Vampire repellent than I know what to do with. Here, at the shop, even at Sarah's school."

"Good."

"What's on your mind Dean?" She could hear something was bothering him.

"I worked a case today- a young girl named Krissy. Her dad was a Hunter. He was killed by Vamps and she went red with rage and wanted revenge. She's a _kid_ Lee. And she started hunting! She almost killed a man today, not just the monsters, a human man!"

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Lee, I... I don't want that for you or Sarah."

"I already lost my family to Vampires and I didn't go on a murdering rampage. And well, Sarah's got you and Sam to watch her back and help her out; like Bobby and your dad did for me." Their conversation picked up after that, no work talk, just catching up on Sarah's life, and some of their favourite TV.


	16. Chapter 16- Radio Silence

With Sam suffering in the wake of the first two trial, Dean focused all of his attention to looking out for his younger brother, even Castiel and Kevin got pushed aside when it came to Sam's well being. Everything in Dean's life stopped, so naturally, Baileigh and Sarah fell to the bottom of his list of priorities. But being at the bottom of the list didn't mean that Dean forgot about his girls, or that he didn't wish he could see them and hold them close every day. Being a low priority just meant that Baileigh didn't hear from Dean very often- but that wasn't new.

 _Lebanon, Kansas-_ _ **April 24th 2013 **Featuring S8E20 Pac-Man Fever****_

Dressed in a pale military uniform with his hair parted and gelled to the side Dean stood in an infirmary beside a bad-ass looking Charlie Bradbury. Charlie was dressed in tight black combat clothes, with her hair tied back in a pony tail. She let the shotgun hanging from her shoulder drop to her side as Dean pulled back the curtain surrounding the nearest bed. A pale, red headed woman lay motionless in the bed; she bore an undeniable resemblance to Charlie.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Dean said in a soft voice.

"She's not gone!" Charlie snapped pulling the curtain shut again.

There were three more beds in the infirmary. Dean moved to the next one. He pulled back the curtain of the next bed. "Sam?"

Charlie appeared at his shoulder and looked down at Sam. "Is this my nightmare or yours?"

As she said it Dean realized who was occupying the last two beds. He felt the blood drain from his face as his stomach flip flopped. He was glad the bleached curtains were blocking his view. Imagining it was bad enough, Dean didn't need to see Baileigh and Sarah lying with their hands crossed over their chests, pale and perfectly still, as if they were just waiting to be placed into caskets.

"This is it," Charlie said pulling Dean back from his misery. "The Boss Battle. Come on, we gotta save the patients."

 _Lebanon, Kansas-_ _ **May 13th 2013 **After S8E22 Clip Show****_

Dean didn't tell Baileigh when he met the scribe of God, or when Kevin deciphered the second half of the Demon Tablet. But when Crowley started killing people he and Sam had once saved Dean pressed **#2** on his speed dial. "Hey, it's me." He spoke quickly. "I don't have time to explain, but basically I'm in a pissing contest with the King of Hell, so I need you and Sarah to stay inside and lay low for a while. I want you to salt every window sill and doorway. Draw every sigil I ever showed you, ransack the house; shake out clothes, empty drawers, everything. Look for Hex Bags. If you find one, burn it! And make sure Sarah's wearing her anti-possession charm. Got it?"

"O...Okay..." Baileigh stammered. She wasn't really scared, in fact, she was trying to remember her new 'to do' list and was already trying to figure out how to ransack the house in an orderly way.

"I can't come get you, but Lee, you-can-do-this."

"I know," she assured him, reassuring herself in the process.

"Stay hidden. I'll call when it's safe."

But Dean didn't call, instead, he sent a text- **The King of Hell is my bitch** \- which wasn't received very well by Baileigh. _What does that mean?_ she had wondered in frustration.

To be fair to Dean, he had meant the text to mean: _I hope you two are safe. I've got the King of Hell held captive in a church while Sam tries to sure him. I miss you. xoxox. Booyah. Die third trial die._

And then the angels fell to Earth, like a flaming hail storm, and there was still no word from Dean.

 _Randolph, New York-_ _ **May 19th 2013 **After S8E23 Sacrifice****_

It was radio silence from Dean to Baileigh after the angels fell. He didn't call her and he didn't pick up his phone when she called him. Baileigh was left to fear the worst, until she received another text- **Sam's dying**.

Again, Dean had meant the message to mean: _We didn't close the Gates of Hell. I couldn;t let Sam do it. It would have killed him. But the Trials still took a toll on him, he's in a coma, dying. I wish you were here to hold me and tell me it's going to be alright, but I don't want Sarah to see Sam like this, so just stay home. I'll tell you when he wakes up. Kiss Sarah for me._

Obviously, Baileigh didn't get that part of the message. She just understood **Sam's dying** and jumped into Emergency Mode. She called in every favour at every hospital she knew looking for anyone who matched Sam's description: crazy tall, long brown hair, coma, dying. She called and called until she found someone matching Sam's description at Linwood Memorial Hospital in New York.

Baileigh strapped Sarah into her booster seat and drove like a bat out of Hell for nearly twenty hours, straight to New York.

Even before she stepped inside the hospital Baileigh knew she was in the right place. The front doors of the facility were hanging off their hinges and every window in the building was either shattered or cracked. This was the kind of destruction that followed the Winchesters. She carried Sarah through the halls, following the destruction until she found the room that must have been Sam's.

Although the bed was empty and the chart that lay discarded on the dresser read M. Daugherty, the sigils coverign the walls, window and door made it obvious that this room has been occupied by Hunters. _Sam must be okay,_ Baileigh hoped looking at the empty bed, but the readings on M. Daugherty's chart made it seem impossible, _impossible for anyone other than a Winchester_ , she reminded herself.

Sam and Dean had left no clues as to where they were headed. Even the hospital staff had no idea what had happened to them.

By the time Baileigh and Sarah returned to the parking lot, any trace of the Impala was long gone. Baileigh found herself hoping that the brothers hadn't somehow found their way back to Purgatory.

Before she drove off, Baileigh pulled out her phone and texted Dean- **Wherever you are, I hope you are both alright** \- and she meant exactly that.


	17. Chapter 17- Heart Breaker

_Cawker City, Kansas-_ _ **October 26th 2013 **After S9E3 I'm No Angel****_

Kevin wandered into the Men of Letters kitchen looking for a pre-dinner snack to see Dean pacing back and forth muttering to himself. On the counter beside him was a piece of paper with Dean's notes- Kevin saw that the paper was full of scratched out apologies.

He watched curious, "Uh... Dean? Should I be worrying about you too?" He sidestepped around the elder Winchester, grabbed the milk from the fridge and poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"Me? Nah, I'm fine." Dean shrugged.

"You don't look fine," Kevin said into his bowl/

Dean sighed and ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I haven't called Baileigh since the angel fell... I want to see her, but I can;t just say 'hey, I know we haven't spoken in a while but wanna go shoot some pool?' So, I'm practicing."

Sam overheard from the hall and poked his head into the kitchen surprised. "You haven't called Baileigh since New York? That was 5 months ago!" He sat down beside the Prophet and gestured for Kevin to pass the milk and cereal.

"Well, I've been a little busy!"

"Good thing Bobby's not here or he'd kick your ass." Sam looked away disappointed.

"You think I don't know that?"

"She's gonna be maaaaaad," Kevin teased. Dean looked back at Kevin with a _'you're not helping'_ glare and Kevin stared back down at the cereal floating in his bowl.

"Nah Kev, you've never met her. If Baileigh were mad at him Dean would know."

"How?"

"She'd have told me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's a straight shooter. No games."

"Then why are you afraid of calling her?" Kevin spoke around a spoonful of food.

Dean raised a lip at him disgusted before he answered. "Keep your food in your mouth," he scolded. "And I'm not _afraid_ of calling her. It's just that every time I call, I drag her a little farther into my life."

"And that's bad?" Kevin wondered still talking around his cereal. Dean made a face again.

"No Kev," Sam explained, "it's not bad, it's dangerous." Sam explained how the more time Dean spent with Baileigh and Sarah meant more time for their enemies to realize Dean's weaknesses and use them against him as bait.

Dean pressed speed dial **#2** as Sam explained and walked out of the l=kitchen for a little privacy. The call went straight to voicemail. "Hey Lee, we're all fine. I just wanted to hear your voice. Call me back." Dean hung up to applause echoing from the kitchen. "Shut up!" he shouted back through the open kitchen door before heading back to his room.

 **A few hours later.**

Dean's calls were still going straight to voicemail and he was getting tired of waiting. In the men of Letters Library Dean checked his phone for missed calls every couple minutes until Sam finally told him to stop. "She doesn't live far. Just drive over and see her!" he said exasperated. Dean shook his head and waited.

At **7:15PM** Dean's phone rang and Baileigh's voice echoed through the phone to him, but it wasn't quite the same voice he was expecting. "I got a sitter. Can you meet me at Carmichael's?"

"Uh, sure. You need a ride home from work?"

"No. We just need to talk." She hung up on him.

As Dean quietly slid the phone into his back pocket, Sam looked up expectantly. "Was that her?" Dean nodded. "Is she okay?"

Dean swallowed hard. "She sounds pissed," he said looking just as surprised as Sam.

 **Carmichael's Auto Body Shop**

The lights were on in the body shop when Dean pulled into the parking lot. The bell over the door jingled as Dean opened the door and entered. He saw Baileigh leaning against the counter with her dyed black hair braided down the side of her neck. She was wearing a plaid shirt under a leather jacket, tight dark jeans and black combat boots. She looked magnificent. And furious. Her thin eyebrows were furrowed, her lips pursed and her arms were crossed tight over her chest- not exactly the warm reunion he had been hoping for.

"Hey," he said reserved. Dean felt as if he were walking into a trap, and in a way he was.

Baileigh watched him walk in carefully. She watched for the moment his foot stepped onto the rug just inside the front door; she'd brought it from home. It was the old house warming gift Bobby had given her years ago- the rug with the devil's trap spray painted on the bottom. She watched him step onto the rug, and step off of it again without any trouble. Next, she poured a shot for him and slammed it on the counter. Dean looked at the shot with confusion but took it anyway.

"Was that water?" Dean was expecting the nasty kick of cheap vodka, but the shot was flavourless.

"Holy water." She nodded. "Shut up." She reached out and took his hand. He squeezed her hand gently and noticed a silver cross on a chain in her palm.

Dean let go of her hand. "Are you testing me?" he asked surprised.

"What are you?!" she shouted, backing up to grab the wrench she had left behind the counter.

"Woah! Lee, it's me. Relax." He pulled the neck of his shirt down to show the tattoo on his chest- still intact- and raised his hands to show that he meant her no harm.

"I don't believe you."

"Then continued your test, what else do you need to do? Shoot me with a round of salt? Stick me with an iron poker? What about Borax, you got any of that in another flask?"

Baileigh's eyes narrowed unimpressed. "What colour was the first Chevrolet Camaro to come off the production line?"

"What?" he asked. Baileigh rolled her shoulders back ready for a fight, or to run, Dean wasn't sure which. "Um, okay. Okay." he thought about it. "The first Camaro was black."

Baileigh shifted her weight, ready to reach for the wrench again. "In 1940 Chrysler made 'six' of this car as a publicity stunt."

Dean thought for a moment and answered quickly, "The Newport Dual-Cowl Phaeton."

"What tail lamps were used on the 1968 Shelby Mustang?"

"The '68? The '68 used the '66 Ford Thunderbird tail lamps, but Mercury Cougar tail lamps were used in the '67 Shelby," Dean answered smug. He crossed his arms proud. He was good at this sort of game.

Baileigh raised the wrench onto the counter and looked a Dean seriously. "Last question."

"Hit me." His voice was cocky.

"When's my birthday?"

Dean stopped. He was ready to answer, but his arms dropped to his side as he realized he had no idea. "Lee, I'm sorry... I... I don't know. But you gotta' believe, it's me!" Before he could finish his plea, Baileigh had run at him. She left the wrench on the counter and wrapped her arms around Dean's middle, holding him tight. He looked down at her curious, and pushed her away. "But I failed, how do you know it's me?"

She held his face and kissed him. "You didn't fail." She shook her head. "I know it's you." She looked into his hazel eyes and thought she might dissolve under the power of his gaze. "Anyone else would have done their research." She laughed. She was so relieved to see that it was really him, that she had forgotten what she had invited him over to talk about. She swallowed a lump in her throat, immediately feeling guilty.

"You're not mad?" Dean asked.

"Mad?" Baileigh stiffened, "Of course I'm mad!" Dean let her pull away. "I'm very glad to see you- I missed you," she reassured him, "but yes Dean I'm mad." She grabbed the wrench again and moved behind the counter.

"What are you going to do with that?"

"I'm going to fix a car," the _-duh-_ was implied. She pointed to the nearest toolbox. "Come be helpful while we chat." Skeptically Dean followed Baileigh over to a maroon station wagon. "Do you have any idea why I'm upset with you?" Dean stayed quiet. He had an idea, but wasn't confident in his answer and didn't want to add fuel to the fire. "The last thing I heard from you was _Sam's dying._ And today I get a voicemail that says _We're fine._ And there were months in between where I didn't hear anything." Dean nodded along. Baileigh disappeared under the car on a rolling cart continuing, "Look, I read Sam's chart, so I know how bad it was and I may not have been able to do anything more for him, but you should have told me. Maybe I could have helped. At least I could have been there for you."

"You read Sam's chart?" Dean bent over to look under the car at her.

"Yeah. When I got your message and you didn't answer me back, I used every contact I have to track you down and booked it to New York. We must have just missed you, 'cause they were still sweeping up glass when we left."

With one foot Dean pulled the rolling cart out from under the car. Baileigh sat up confused. Dean knelt so they were face to face and hugged her. He kissed her softly, "Thank you for coming." Baileigh blushed but stiffened in his arms. Dean smelled like home and made her feel safe- and she did not want to be reminded of that right now.

"You're welcome." She offered him a half smile. "Sam's okay now?"

"Getting better." Dean nodded.

"I'm glad. But I have to ask, if the situation were reversed and I was the one in the hospital, would you have told Sam?"

"Well yeah, he's my family."

"And what does that make me?" Baileigh let her head fall against his chest and let him hold her. Baileigh's voice was quiet and slightly muffled when she spoke. "You guys are my family and I love you. I get that you're Hunters, and I'm proud of you both, but I deserve to know what's happening to my family. I hate waiting and wondering..."

"Lee,"

She interrupted him. "And I won't do it anymore." Dean pushed Baileigh out to arms length wondering if she had really just ended their relationship. She looked him in the eyes straight faced. "I'm not joking."

"I'm not laughing," he said seriously. He kept a light hold on her arms afraid that if he let her go, he might never get to hold her again.

"I love you," Baileigh said softly.

"But?"

"I'm not waiting around until you _decide_ that you have time for me anymore."

"I'm a Hunter Lee! I told you about the lifestyle and you said you understood!"

"I do. I also told you not to keep me in the dark. We talked about this. I said, 'I'm not stupid. Tell me if it's dangerous and I'll stay away.' But Dean, you didn't call to say it was dangerous. You weren't protecting us, you just had other priorities, and I was at the bottom of the list." When he didn't answer, Baileigh got up and took a couple paces away from Dean. "You had months to contact me and tell me you had a full plate. _Months to tell me you were alive!_ I called, I left messages, I emailed- I don't even know where you live, so it's not like I could tape a note to your door."

"Lee, I'm sorry."

"I know. It just means that you don't see me as your family. Sam is your family. And Cas, Kevin and Charlie, and maybe even Sarah, but somehow I'm not, and I deserve better." She took a long breath secretly hoping that he would fight for her but Baileigh had pleaded her case rationally and Dean seemed at a loss for words. With her hands tucked into the back pockets of her jeans, Baileigh asked politely, "I need you to leave."

The bell chimed overhead as he opened the door to leave Carmichael's. Baileigh turned back to the station wagon on the lift and heard the door to the shop slam behind her. The moment the door was closed Baileigh's shoulders slumped forward and she cried into her hands. Her whole body shook with the force of her sobs. It took a long time before she regained her composure, wiped her face on a sleeve and sighed heavily.

Turning to leave and lock up Baileigh jumped when she saw the man sitting on the ground by the door staring at her- Dean hadn't left. He had let the door slam and sat down to wait. He was upset. His cheeks were pink and although he wasn't crying, after watching Baileigh's breakdown he had to keep his hands in his pockets to keep her from seeing them shake.

"I asked you to leave." Baileigh tried to sound as tough as she could with a plugged nose and watery eyes. Her cheeks flushed too, embarrassed that he had seen her break down.

"You did. And I gave you space because you needed it, but Lee, I'm not leavin' you."

Her head fell, "Please."

Dean stood up shaking his head and approached her slowly, as if she were a deer that might bolt if he made any sudden movements. "Sam's the only family I've ever known. Mom died when Sam was a baby, and Dad... wll, John was never much of a role model. So I don;t have much practice with the whole _family thing_." He rubbed his face with a trembling hand. "Cas, Kevin and Charlie, they're like strays. I found 'em alone and struggling, brought 'em in from the rain, kept 'em safe and now they're family." He sighed. "I'm man enough to admit that I messed up, and I know I messed up bad- and I'm gonna mess up again- but Lee, I _chose_ you. Everyday I choose you." He reached a hand out for her and rested his hands on her hips. "You and Sarah are the family I chose, and as long as you'll have me, I'm not leavin'."


	18. Chapter 18- Cast-Out

_Cawker city, Kansas- **October 27th 2013 **After S9E3 I'm No Angel****_

"Cas?" Baileigh shouted leaning out the window of her car watching the small, dark haired man wandering aimlessly down the street. She pulled her car into the nearest driveway and hopped out to see him. "It's so good to see you!" she said enthusiastically wrapping him in an awkward hug. When it came to Castiel, everything was awkward, and she was _almost_ used to it. But he looked lost, and somehow threadbare. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." He shrugged.

"Don't lie to me angel," she teased.

"I had my Grace stolen. I'm not an angel anymore." His round eyes looked away ashamed.

"So... you're human now?" she asked. He nodded. "Tough break. We've got it rough." She smiled and really took stock of him. He was thin, dirty, and had half a week's scruff on his cheeks. She nodded to her car. "Come with me."

Baileigh drove home and Castiel helped her unload the groceries- trying his best not to look at them too longingly. But Baileigh noticed.

"I was going to reheat some chili from last night for lunch. Do you want some?"

"Oh, no. Don't go to any trouble." Castiel declined politely.

"It's no trouble," she said throwing two bowls in the microwave to heat up. She passed one to Castiel and watched him finish his bowl quickly. This was obviously the first real meal he'd had in a while. "So, how're you doing in the real world?" _Why are you in the real world all alone?_ she wondered.

"It's nice." He lied.

"Where are you staying?" _Why aren't you with Sam and Dean?_ She made a note to ask Dean later.

"Dean set me up in a motel room not too far away." He lied again.

"Did he get you a job too?"

"Yep." Castiel puffed his chest out trying to mask another lie.

"Alright, well you can't go back to work looking like that." She smiled despite the insult and grabbed him by the arm leading him to the upstairs bathroom. "Here's a towel, and a fresh razor. Oh, and..." She grabbed one of Dean's shirts and a pair of sweats. Put these on while I throw your clothes in the wash."

"There's no need..." He tried to protest but Baileigh insisted.

"I'm not asking Cas. I'll be downstairs getting dinner ready when you're done."

By the time the angel had figured out which bottles in the shower were shampoo and which were bubble bath, Baileigh had already tossed his clothes in the wash, grabbed an extra shirt from Dean's side of the closet, an old sleeping bag from an unused set of camping gear she had gathering dust in a cupboard and started to assemble a 'Cas Care Kit' complete with tooth brush, travel toothpaste, a stick of Dean's favourite deodorant, a box of crackers, a couple bottles of water, and some cash; enough for a few nights in a motel.

 _"Thank you. Yeah, tomorrow? See you then."_ Baileigh hung up the phone when Castiel called.

"Baileigh, I'm afraid I might need your help..." he called from upstairs after he finished his shower. Baileigh went upstairs nervously.

"What do you need help with?" she asked cautiously pushing the bathroom door open. To her relief Castiel was clean, dressed and starring at his reflection in the mirror holding the razor.

"I don't know how to shave," he admitted. If he knew what bashful meant, he would have looked at her bashfully. Instead, he stared at her awkwardly holding the razor out in front of him as if it might magically remove all his facial hair.

"Oh!" She smiled. "I'm glad you asked. No one ever showed me, and it was a bloody horror show when I learned. Literally," she said chuckling- he didn't get the dark humour. "I'll show you." Baileigh showed Castiel the basics to shaving; he seemed to get a kick out of using Dean's shaving cream, and she let him finish up on his own.

Downstairs she sat at the kitchen table folding a few pieces of paper into an envelope. She looked proudly at the clean, revitalized looking man standing in her kitchen.

"Sarah will be home soon. So let's clear the air before she walks through that door." Baileigh crossed her hands over each other on the table. "Do you know why people are scared of mothers?"

"No. Why?"

"Because we know when people are lying to us. I know you don't have a hotel room, so you're staying here tonight."

"No Baileigh it's not safe."

"Honestly Cas, I don't care. It must be bad if you're not with Sam and Dean, but I'm sure Dean's tricked out this house with more spells, sigils and traps than I care to think of. We'll be safe for one night. You're staying with us tonight." Castiel did not protest further. "I also know Dean didn't help you find a job. So, I called a friend. It's not a great job, but with your limited experience as a human you should still be able to do it. I wrote you a resume, and enclosed a letter of recommendation just in case. You start training tomorrow."

"Baileigh..." But even former angels can be at a loss for words.

"You can sleep on the couch any time you want."

"I won't impose." Castiel shook his head.

"That's why I made this." She pointed to the 'Cas Care Kit' as a big yellow bus pulled up outside. She opened the front door and waved goodbye to the bus driver. As Sarah ran up the driveway Baileigh said quietly to Castiel, "Being a human is hard, especially without years of practice. If you ever need _anything_ , you know where I live."

 _Lebanon, Kansas-_ _ **October 29th 2013 **After S9E4 Slumber Party****_

Dean called Baileigh when he discovered the garage in the bunker, "You wouldn't believe it!" he said amazed looking around the old garage at all the retro cars; and Dorothy's bike, parked within.

"I'm so jealous. I've always dreamed of having my own garage to fix up my cars."

"If you still had the Chevelle it'd fit in perfectly."

She scoffed. "I still have the Chevelle," she said defensive, "you'd give up the Impala before _I_ sell the Chevelle."

"Oh, I thought..."

"No, no, no. When Baileigh Wyatt 'died'," she did the air quotes even though he couldn't see her, "and Rosanne Scott was 'born' I had to get a new car. But I didn't sell the Chevelle. He's safe. Lonely-" she added, "but safe."

"Where? He'd be safer here, and happier among his own kind." Dean teased.

"Good point." She sighed. "I guess you'll have to come get the keys sometime."

"I'll bring the beer." **Click.** He'd tell her about Charlie and Dorothy when he saw her next.


	19. Chapter 19- Flashing Back

_Somerset, Pennsylvania-_ _ **January 14th 2014 **Featuring S9E10 Road Trip****_

The Impala's radio is quiet. All Dean can hear other than the rumble of the engine as Sam and Cas' figures shrink in the rear view mirror is the splattering of rain on the roof and the squeak of the wiper blades on the windshield. The last words he said to his brother while they stood on that rain soaked bridge echoed in his mind,

 _"Come on man. Can't you see? I'm poison Sam._ _People get close to me- they get killed or worse. You know, I tell myself I help more than I hurt and I tell myself I do it for all the right reasons; and I believe that, but I can't- I won't- drag anybody through the mud with me, not anymore."_

Images flashed through his memory as he drove. The ones that lasted longer than the blink between lamp posts were:

-he stood unsteadily on a frozen pond while Baileigh; her long blond hair tied in two long braids, wearing a bright red cable knit sweater, and Sarah; topped with a bright blue hat, skated circles around him. -Sarah stumbled- Dean reached out to catch her, over balances and fell to the ice with a groan. When he looked around Sarah and Baileigh were both lying on the ice around him. Sarah fell, Dean tried to save her and fell and Baileigh tried to save Dean and fell to the ice too. He looked to Sarah concerned and the three of them burst out laughing. He remembered how crinkled Baileigh's eyes were when she laughed, and how Sarah always shut her eyes and tossed her head back when she was laughing hard.

-a snowball whizzed passed his head and he turned to see Sam holding another snowball. Baileigh and Sarah had convinced Dean and Sam to go outside to build the first snowman of the season; but the boys quickly changed the plan and started a snowball fight. Baileigh cowered behind the snowman as Dean and Sam pelted each other with snow. Eventually growing tired of losing, Dean ran at Sam knocking him to the ground and smeared snow in his face. "Cheater! You cheated!" Sam cried out through his deep chuckles as Dean stood over him, arms up in victory. Sarah sneaked out from beside her mother and ran at Dean. Copying his move, she jumped at him. Playing along, Dean fell backwards into the snow defeated. He held up Sarah as the snow battle victor. She laughed so hard she could barely breathe.

-sitting on Baileigh's couch as she lounged in his arms as they watched Die Hard/ and The Princess Bride.

Then the memories changed from happy ones and they shuffled quickly as lights passed over the car;

-John lying on a hospital bed as a Doctor yelled 'clear!' trying to restart his heart.

-a flash of Jo Harvelle the first time he met her- the tip of her gun digging into the small of his back, and a flash of Jo the last time he had seen her- bleeding out in her mother's arms before they blew up a hardware store.

-Sam stabbed in the back, collapsing into his arms.

-Sam coughing blood as his body rejected the toll of the Trials.

-Sam in a coma.

-looking through the window of the 'Gas n' Sip' as Cas worked a regular job.

-watching Gadreel- as Sam- kill Kevin.

Dean's foot pressed harder on the gas pedal as his imagination wandered to Baileigh and Sarah. He imagined Baileigh and Sarah in the hospital. Sarah being chased down and hunted by vampires. Baileigh bleeding out and Dean cradling Sarah as her mother died...

Shaking the images from his head he dialed Baileigh's number and pressed the button for 'speaker phone'. "I need help Lee," he said before she had a chance to say hi.

"Dean? What's wrong?"

"I messed up again. Bad." She could hear the car racing down the highway as he continued, "I lied to Sam and now he's pissed... I saved his life, but I lied... and the angel lied... and Kevin's dead... it's all on me..." He rambled.

"Okay Dean, stay calm. Is Sam okay?" Baileigh asked softly trying not to scare him away. There was a squeak on the line as Dean's voice hitched.

"Yeah. Can you put Sarah on the phone?"

"Oh. Umm... Of course, hold on." He heard rustling, the creak of the third step of the staircase and then Baileigh waking Sarah. "Wake up Sweetie, it's Dean. He wants to talk to you."

Sarah's soft voice was unused and sleepy. "Hi Dean."

"Hey Babygirl. Man, it's good to hear your voice. Did I wake you?"

"Umm hmm." She nodded. "What's wrong?"

"How's school?" Dean interrupted.

"Fine." She spoke through a yawn, "I ...*yawn*... brought a frog ...*yawn*... to show and tell." Dean smiled and stayed quiet for a bit, and Sarah listened carefully. "Dean?"

"Yeah Honey, I'm here." He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel.

"Are you in town?"

"No. Why?"

"Sounds like you need a hug," she said innocently.

He sighed and leaned back into his seat. "Babygirl, you hit the nail on the head right there."

"Well, if you get here by morning I could give you a hug before school." He pictured her tilting her head to the side and shrugging her small shoulders the way she did whenever she's reasoning with someone.

"I can't make it to you before breakfast."

"How far away are you?"

" 'bout 17 hours Honey."

Sarah was quiet as she calculated sleepily on her fingers. "I'll still have time after school." He pictured her shoulders shrugging again.

Dean chuckled. "Sounds like a deal. Okay, you sleep well and put your momma back on the phone."

"Night Dean." She yawned handing the phone back to her mother.

"What was that about?"

"I needed a reminder why I'm doing this." Dean's voice was gravely.

"Oh." _He was spooked and he was bolting, again,_ she thought disheartened.

"I'm on the road but I'll be home by dinner," he assured her.

"You're not leaving?" Baileigh needed confirmation.

"I wanted to leave- that's why I called. You and Sarah..." he paused thinking of the right words to say, "you're my rock. You two keep me tethered to reality when everything else in crumbling around me. You're the light in the darkness Lee."

She blushed embarrassed and pulled her sweater tighter around her body. "Where are you?"

"Pennsylvania, so don't wait up."

"See you when you're home. Drive safe."

"Will do."

 _Cawker City, Kansas-_ ** _January 15, 2014_**

When Baileigh's slate grey 1969 Dodge Charger turned onto their street Sarah piped up from the back seat pointing excitedly at their driveway. "He's here!" she said bouncing with so much enthusiasm that her seat belt barely restrained her. Baileigh's stomach flip flopped at the sight of the Impala. As soon as Baileigh parked the Charger, Sarah jumped out of her seat, slammed the door behind her and raced to the front door.

Baileigh was slower, grabbing a bag of groceries and Sarah's back pack from the trunk. Her key clicked in the lock and Sarah pushed the door open, kicked off her shoes, threw off her hat and jacket and raced into the house looking for Dean. Baileigh expected to hear Sarah's gleeful cry when she found him inevitably with his nose in the fridge, or sitting in front of the television, but Sarah stayed quiet. Baileigh removed her boots and hung up her jacket -and Sarah's- before peeking into the living room.

She nearly dropped the bag of groceries when she saw that Dean was asleep on the couch and that Sarah had snaked her way into Dean's arms as he slept. Both their eyes were closed, and they were breathing softly. Baileigh put the groceries away before draping a blanket over them and returning to the kitchen to start dinner.

When Dean finally started to stir there was a fire burning in the fire place and Baileigh was serving dinner in the kitchen. He blinked and noticed the little body wrapped in his arm. Baileigh heard him moving and called from the kitchen, "Dinner time sleeping beauty!"

"She means you right?" Dean asked looking down at Sarah as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Sarah shook her head 'no'. "I ain't no sleeping beauty, otherwise your mom wouldn't be able to keep her hands off me," Dean joked.

Baileigh laughed in the kitchen. "You wish."

Without letting go of Sarah, Dean got up and walked to the kitchen where Baileigh was waiting with a hug, a kiss and a plate of food for him. "Thank you." His mouth only used two words to tell Baileigh how much he appreciated everything she did for him, but his eyes said much more. She smiled her sideways grin and kissed him again. "You're welcome."

After dinner they all snuggled onto the couch to watch a movie. When Sarah fell asleep, Baileigh turned off the TV so they didn't have to listen to 'Let it Go' anymore. "Are you alright?" she asked still running her hands through Sarah's long hair.

"I don't know how to do this. I was the one who was supposed to do the Trials, I was the one who had to watch Sam suffer, I sat by his bedside while he was dying and I just couldn't let him go. Not without a fight. I found a way to save him Lee. But I knew he wouldn't like it, so I tricked him, and I lied to him..."

"And you saved his life?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "And I got Kevin killed."

"I'm sorry." She held him tight trying to keep tears from her eyes, she had liked Kevin and knew how much Dean had loved him too.

"Dad told me to look out for him and now Sam doesn't trust me. He's still suffering and won't let me help. I don't know what to do."

"Just stick with him," Baileigh said matter-of-fact. "Remind him you're in his corner. He's your brother. You'd do anything for him right?" She felt Dean's head nod against hers. "So just stick around until he needs to hear that."

"You're brilliant you know that?" he said kissing the top of her head. She blushed. "How do you know exactly what to say?"

Her hands ran over Sarah's arm and squeezed her hand. "I had a younger brother once," she said softly. She tried to smile, but the sentiment didn't reach her eyes.

 _Of course Baileigh had a brother!_ Dean felt stupid. He knew about her younger brother but she rarely talked about him or her parents. "I'm sorry. Of course I remember your brother Ryan."

"Before Sarah, having a brother was the best feeling I'd ever had. I'm jealous that you still have Sam- I mean- don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful you two have each other. Having a sibling is the best friendship in the world."

"I know what you mean." He glanced down at Sarah. Baileigh had resumed running her hand through the sleeping girl's hair. "You ever wish Sarah had a little sister or brother?"

Baileigh snorted. "All the time." She sighed leaning harder into Dean's chest. He kissed the top of her head again as she continued, "but Mel only left me one."


	20. Chapter 20- Baileigh's Bite

_Cawker City, Kansas-_ _ **March 25th 2014 **After S9E17 MOther's Little Helper****_

*Dean and Sam sit across from each other during dinner and Baileigh and Sarah's. Most of the meal was spent on a tense and awkward silence while the brothers pushed the food around their plates and ignored one another. It was an unpleasant meal and Baileigh wanted it over with.

"Can you two just get over it?"

"Get over what?"

This stupid fight. You're acting like children." She looked apologetically to Sarah who didn't seem bothered by the comment. "Whatever it is, just clear the air and move on."

"Lee, don't. It's not that easy..." Dean tried to stop her, but Sam interrupted him.

"What Dean? Are you going to speak for me again, you going to make the decision whether we talk right now for me too? Why don't you just make all of my decisions for me forever since you're so good at it."

"That's not... Sam, can we not do this here?" Dean glanced at Baileigh whose grip on her cutlery was tight as she stared ahead without blinking.

"You lied to me Dean!"

"I know. I'm sorry, but I did it to protect you."

"That's what you don't get." Sam shook his head and pushed the hair from his eyes. He pointed acusingly at Dean. "You did it for yourself! I was ready to die!"

"Sammy..." Dean pleaded.

"That's enough." Baileigh interrupted them. Her voice was deep and even like Deans, but it was frightening coming from her. She turned to Dean, "Take Sarah for a drive."

"Why?"

" 'Cause I'm about to have a fight with your brother and Sarah doesn't need to hear it." As if on cue, Sarah jumped down from her seat and raced Dean to the front door.

They met Castiel coming up the driveway. "Come with me." Dean said, pulling Castiel away from the house.

"But, I was invited for dinner."

"Yep, but you're coming for a drive first," he said buckling Sarah into the back seat.

"Why?"

"Baileigh's about to tear Sam a new one, and believe me, no one wants to see that."

In the back, Sarah tilted her head and looked at Dean's reflection in the rear view mirror. "Tear him a new what?" she asked. Dean looked to Castiel for help, but the angel looked curious too. "Uhhh... Who wants ice cream?"

 ***Inside***

The door closed behind Dean and Sarah and Sam pipped up. "I'm sorry about dinner."

"Shut it Sam." She spat. "You have to get over yourself and forgive your brother."

"Look, don;t lecture me because Dean's been complaining to you."

Baileigh scoffed. "God Sam, you can be such a child! I;m not saying this because Dean's said anything- which he hasn't by the way- I'm saying this because your attitude is pissing me off and I'm done putting up with it. YOU HAVE A BROTHER!" She waited to see if Sam would catch that ball; he didn't, so she continued. "He loves you, you know that?" Sam nodded. "And you're holding that against him? You have some nerve complaining that your brother tricked you into _not dying_." She paced around the kitchen table. "And now you have to wake up every morning and _feel_. What an ass he is," she said sarcastically. Her eyes stared blankly out the window to the backyard. "That's called living. Tough luck buttercup! Life's hard, but it's the only thing in this world that's worth a damn." She paused. "I would give _anything_ to see my brother again." Her face was wet and angry when she turned back to Sam. "You were born into one of the strongest, cleverest families that the world has ever seen! And you were blessed with people in your life who would sacrifice and die for you. And you sneer at that blessing like it's gum on the bottom of your shoe."

"You don't understand."

"I understand enough!" Sitting down defeated, she continued, "if you died Sam, it would break me. So how do you expect Dean would handle it?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"But you've stopped fighting Sam! So when something happens you are just going to roll over and let it." She picked up a fork and brandished it at him. "You are going to put everyone who loves you through hell. And I hate you for that."

Sam sat too.

"How can you not fight for the infinite possible futures ahead of you?"

"Because I'm a Hunter. There's only one future foe me and it ends with me getting my guts ripped out." In this moment Sam sounded more like Dean that she'd ever head him and that in itself was terrifying. Sam was the dreamer, or rather, _had been the dreamer_. Again Baileigh slammed her fists on the table. _Now you sound like Dean, but even Dean doesn't speak like that anymore,_ she thought.

"You two always forget how long I've been around. That is not true, and that is _not_ what Bobby taught you!"

"Bobby's your example? Bobby died on the job. Sure he had a wife, but he had to kill her. _Twice."_

"Bobby lived! He had a life, a wife, kids,"

"Bobby didn't have kids," Sam interrupted.

"Stop saying stupid things!" Baileigh snapped. Sam was taken aback. Dean had said Baileigh was scary to fight with, but he had never said anything more. Now Sam understood; when fighting, Baileigh was brash and honest. She picked her words carefully, and she picked them to hurt. "You and Dean _were_ his kids, and he's probably up there," she pointed toward heaven, "yelling along with me 'cause he doesn't want to see you up there anymore than the rest of us do!"

"Don't talk to me about Bobby." Sam stood ready to leave.

"I'm the only one who has the right to talk to you about Bobby," she hissed. "I know the stories, I know the secrets. I know his hopes and fears. He was my friend and when you and Dean were working, I was with him and got to see the other side of him. You have the most selfless family." She shook her head disappointed. "Dean, John, Bobby... everything they've ever done was for someone else. If you wanna die, FINE. But shut up and stop begrudging those who want more for you." She stood to leave, even though it was her house. "The world's a dark place Sam Winchester and it's a hell of a lot brighter with you in it."

 _Cawker City, Kansas-_ _ **May 2014 **Shortly before S9E23 Do you Believe in Miracles****_

A lurch in his stomach woke Dean in the middle of the night. He'd had stomach pain before; from bad tacos, or cheap tequila or too-old left-overs, but this was worse. Gagging against the force of the pain in his gut. Dean tossed off the covers and raced to the bathroom. Beside him, Baileigh rubbed the sleep from her eyes and followed him concerned.

"You okay?" she asked, as Dean rinsed out his mouth. The flushed the toilet and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"I'll be fine." His stomach heaved again, this time adding a searing pain behind his eyes to the pain in his stomach. Baileigh rubbed circles on his back and he heaved into the toilet. When his stomach was wmpty she let him straighten up and was his face again- her eyes did not miss his thumb tracing the Mark of Cain on his forearms as he straightened and rinsed his mouth again. "I should go."

"Okay."

Dean marched straight passed Sarah's room, down the stairs and to the front door. "I don't want her to catch whatever I've got." He explained. Baileigh nodded, pretending to believe him. "Kiss her for me?"

"Always." They shared a quick kiss at the door before the Impala backed out the the driveway. Baileigh ran back to her room where her phone was charging and called Sam, ""I'm sorry to wake you, but something's wrong with Dean."

 _Lebanon, Kansas-_ _ **May 20th 2016 **Featuring S9E23 Do you Believe in Miracles****_

After Baileigh's call, Sam kept a particularly close watch on his brother. As he watched, he noticed Dean's possessiveness over the First Blade grow stronger, his blood lust intensified and his ability to reason diminished. Dean wasn't the same, and he was not Okay.

Then, Dean killed Abbadon.

And attacked Gadreel.

And fought Metatron.

And then, Dean died.

Sam lowered Dean's body onto his bed as carefully as he could and stood to loos down at all that was left of his brother. Dean was bloody, bruised and cold .There was nothing left but the shell of the man he had been. Sam's eyes filled with tears as he looked down at the last of his family, his big brother, his idol. Sam blinked away tears as he looked away from Dean's face. His eyes swept the rest of the room; the weapons on the wall, the books on the night stand, the picture of Dean and their mother on the desk, and finally, to something he had never seen- a picture of a much younger Baileigh with baby Sarah sitting on her lap in a field both smiling into the camera. _Dammit_. The tears returned and Sam left Dean's room quickly.

In the library, Sam poured himself a stiff drink and stared at his phone. He had to call Baileigh, but he didn't know what to say. He finished his drink, "No." He slammed his phone on the table. "Not like this." Marching into one of the bunker's back rooms he knelt by the devil's trap to summon the King of Hell. "Dammit Crowley. You got him into this mess. You will get him out, or so help me God."


	21. Chapter 21- The Price of the Mark

To give credit where it is due, the King of Hell did bring Dean back, _sort of_. Dean came back and left Sam and the rest of his life behind in favour of his new 'no rules' demon party with the King of Hell lifestyle.

Alone in the Men of Letters bunker Sam reluctantly picked up his phone. This phone call to Baileigh was almost as hard as the 'Dean's dead' phone call he had avoided.

"How bad is it?" she asked seeing his name on the caller ID- Sam never called just to catch up.

"It's not good. Dean died," Sam continued, "But he's back," he reassured her quickly, "but he's... kind of... a demon." He made an uncomfortable face. He knew how this phone call sounded.

"Oh..." Baileigh said clutching her stomach trying not to be sick. She gagged. _Dean died. Again._

"I _will_ find him Baileigh. And I _will_ cure him. I promise."

 _Beulah, North Dakota-_ ** _October_ _1_ _4th 2014 **Featuring S10E2 Reichenbach**_**

Sitting side by side at the wood of a grungy dive; Dean with two shots in front of him while Crowley sipped a colourful cocktail garnished with fruit, an umbrella and a curly straw, the demons talked business in hushed tones.

"So, how you been feelin'?" asked Crowley. "On edge? Pent-up? Unfulfilled?"

"You sound like a Viagra commercial, you know that right?"

"This isn't about little Dean." Crowley inclined his head towards Dean's pants. "It's about the Mark. It's changed you."

"I've noticed." Dean smiled as his eyes blinked black.

"And I know you want to keep the party going. You want to have fun, fun, fun 'till Daddy takes the black eyes away. The fact is you need to kill now- not _want_ to- not _choose_ to- _need_ to. Face it darlin' death is your drug and you're going to spend the rest of your life chasing that dragon."

As Dean took his shots Crowley proposed that Dean start killing for him. "Look, you're going to snap eventually. The anger, the blood lust... It's going to build up in you until you can't take it anymore. And then..." The King of Hell shrugged. "So the question is: do you want to spike a civilian? Or someone who has it coming?" He looked at Dean pointedly. "We wouldn't want you to hurt little miss Grease Monkey or her kid now would we?" Dean looked at Crowley in surprise. "What? Thought I didn't know? I'm insulted. I know everything." He took a sip from his drink. "Besides, I had to scope out my competition," he teased.

"Who's the Grease Monkey?"

"Don't play coy. It's not a good look on you. Don't think I didn't notice the resemblance between _her_ and bartender barbie the other day." He rolled his eyes.

"There's nothin' but coincidence there Crowley."

"Oh, right sure... You could have your pick of any girl you want; brunettes, gingers, short hair, curly hair, glasses, blue eyes, black eyes and you go for a green eyed, blonde in a plaid shirt... all she was missing were the red shoes and the kid... yep. Coincidence," Crowley ended the conversation by sipping loudly on his cocktail.

 _Lebanon, Kansas- **October 21st 2014 **Featuring S10E3 Soul Survivor****_

All Sam's hard work paid off when the last syringe of purified blood dissolved into Dean's bloodstream. His eyes cleared, Holy water no longer burned his skin and the demon trapping handcuffs around his wrists turned into no more than a bulky boudoir prop. Glad to have his brother back, Sam jumped at the opportunity to drive into town to grab Dean a 'heart attack in a bag' while Castiel stayed behind as sentry, watching over Dean.

There was a knock at his door and Dean hid the photographs in his hand under a book on his nightstand. "Yeah?"

"You look terrible." Castiel said, stepping into Dean's room with a frown.

"It wouldn't kill you to lie now and again."

"No, it wouldn't kill me. It just... you..."

"It's fine. Well, you on the other hand, you're looking good. So, are you back?"

"At least temporarily." Castiel shook his head explaining that it was a long story for another time.

"Well, thank you for stepping in when you did." Dean turned away to ask about Sam. "Does he want a divorce?"

"I'm sure that Sam knows that whatever you said- or what you did- wasn't really you. Certainly, it wasn't _all_ you."

"I tried to kill him Cas."

"Dean. You two have been through so much. Look, you're brothers- it'll take a lot more than trying to kill Sam with a hammer for him to want to walk away."

"You realize how screwed up our lives are that that even makes sense." But Dean cracked a small smile for the angel. "I'm glad you're here man."

"Hey, maybe you should take some time off before you get back to work. Allow yourself to heal." He shrugged. "The timing might be right. Heaven and Hell, they seem reasonably back in order. It's quiet out there," he said shutting the door behind him as he left. Castiel did not say _take time off with Baileigh_ , but he didn't have to. The hint was there.

Dean sank back onto his bed and pulled the photos back out from under his book. Between the pictures of Sam, Bobby and his parents was the only picture he had of his girls- the one Baileigh had sent him years ago when Sarah was just a baby. He wiped his face on a sleeve and put his phone to one ear. He cleared his throat before Baileigh picked up on the other end. The sound of her voice made his chest tighten.

"Hey," she said softly. Sam had already called her to say that the cure had worked, _but what do you say to someone who's just been cured of being a demon? S_ o she tried to keep it light. "What's new?" she asked testing the waters.

"I've got a bruise on my thigh. And no idea where it came from." Dean joked back. She laughed. It was so easy to talk to her, which made the rest of what he had to say, difficult.

She read the silence and cut in. "Rip off the bandage Winchester. Spit it out." She bit her lip.

"I can't see you again until I have the Mark off my arm. I'm not a demon anymore, but the Mark... Lee, it's _changing_ me. I'm angry, and violent... I don't trust myself and I don't want to put you in danger. Or Sarah," he blurted.

"Okay. I understand." She forced her voice to stay as steady as possible. Tears welled in her eyes and she tried to blink them away. "Dean, I have to tell you something..." She sniffed. Dean noticed, but he had to ignore the slight hitch in her voice and how her breathing shook when he said goodbye.

"Tell me when I've got the Mark off my arm."

 _Lebanon, Kansas- **Dec 9th 2014 **Featuring S10E9 The Things we Left Behind****_

Dean, Sam, Castiel and Claire squished into the Impala and drove in silence. Claire had her face buried in Castiel's side trying desperately to avoid looking at Dean who was still covered in blood from the massacre at Randy's.

As soon as he had a moment away from anyone who could overhear him Sam called Baileigh. "Hey. I know you and Dean haven't seen each other in a while, but Dean's really not himself right now. The effect if the Mark is getting worse. DO NOT SEE HIM. Do you understand me? Do not call him. If he calls you, don't meet him anywhere. Don't let him pick up Sarah from school. If he shows up at your house, you call me right away, got it?"

"Woah. Sam, what happened?"

"Baileigh! Please! Do you understand me?"

"Yes, okay. I won't see him. But Sam, what's going on?

"You don't want to know," he assured her.

 _Cawker City, Kansas- **New Years Eve 2015** _

Baileigh paced her living room wearing a track in the rug. Sarah had fallen asleep waiting for the New Year's count down and was passed out on the couch covered in a blanket. In the corner the TV- which was muted- was still showing the live celebrations at Times Square. The lights from the TV reflected shadows across Sarah's face and Baileigh ran a hand through her hair nervous. Biting the tip of the nail off of her index finger, she turned the screen of her phone on and off deciding what to do. A crash in the yard next door froze Baileigh to the spot. The fear she felt in the wake of the crash outside made her decision easy. She turned the screen of her phone on and dialed quickly pulling the machete from the broom closet.

"Baileigh?" Sam answered surprised to hear from her so late in the evening.

"I know you said Dean's not himself- that's why I called you." She spoke quickly. "I'm scared. I've had this feeling that something's been watching me all day and I can't shake it. Can you come check it out?"

"Do you smell sulfur? Like rotting eggs?"

"No." She shook her head.

"See any black smoke?"

"No."

"What have you seen?"

"Sam. Please! If you can't help me, I'm throwing Sarah in the car and we're going to disappear again."

"Ok, ok. I'm coming. Is there somewhere you can go that you'd feel safer? Somewhere with people?"

"Thank you Sam. Yes, there's a New Year's Eve party down the street. I'll go there. I'll text the address." She went to hang up and paused. "Oh, and don't tell Dean, k?"

When she hung up, Sam grabbed his coat and looked back at the closed door to Dean's room. Dean was still up- he could see light coming from the crack under his door. Sam knocked and let himself in. Dean was sitting up in bed reading. He looked up from his book to Sam. His shoulders tensed immediately. "What's wrong?"

"It's Baileigh," Sam said quickly. "Get your coat."


	22. Chapter 22- Blindsided

Sam drove the Impala up to the address Baileigh had sent to him. He turned off the car and looked at the house. There were balloons decorating the front porch and lights and dancing silhouettes visible through the curtains. Whatever was bothering Baileigh had not interrupted this party. He pulled out his phone and texted. Looking over at Dean in the passenger's seat he noticed Dean's hands were clenched into fists as he starred unblinking at the door.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he said as he got out of the car and raced up to the front door.

Inside Baileigh looked at her phone as it buzzed. **We're here.** If she hadn't already been on edge, the _we_ in the text would have done it. _He told Dean, s_ he realized. _Of course he did_. She felt silly for ever believing that Sam wouldn't tell his brother that she and Sarah were in trouble.

When the doorbell rang, the hostess; a cheery woman in a shiny silver sequinned dress, opened the door on to the handsome- if not brooding- figure of Dean Winchester. All at once Baileigh's heart felt like it stopped beating and started beating twice as fast. Her cheeks flushed and she found herself wishing she were anywhere else.

Still standing in the doorway he was about to ask the hostess where she was, but his eyes found Baileigh before he could say anything. His eyes softened when he saw her standing behind the counter in the kitchen. She had died her hair back to a dark blonde and tied it in her usual braid at the side of her neck. He let himself in and walked over.

"Hey," he said unsure what to say. Baileigh nodded her greeting. "Where's Sarah?"

"Asleep in one of the bedrooms upstairs. I'll grab her and meet you outside," she said dismissively.

"Okay."

Back in the car Sam looked to Dean as he closed his door. "How is she?"

"She seems a little shaken, but fine," he said. Sam relaxed slightly. "But there's something else. Something she's not telling me," Dean added.

"Uhh…yeah. There's something _you_ didn't tell _me_ …"

"Tell you what?" Dean asked looking around for any sign of trouble.

"Baileigh's pregnant!" Sam said watching the hostess hold open the door for Baileigh. Delight over shadowed the annoyance he felt toward his brother, but as he looked proudly at Dean it was obvious by the stony look on his face that Dean had no idea.

"What?" Dean looked confused. Sam inclined his head toward Baileigh and Dean looked again. Sarah was dangling in Baileigh's arms but even Sarah's body couldn't hide the giant bulge of Baileigh's belly. Dean rolled his shoulders and stayed quiet. Sam had more questions: _How could you not know? Why didn't she tell you? Is it yours? When's the last time you saw her?_ But he kept quiet. He figured Dean was asking himself the same questions.

"Hey," Sam said cutting the tension as Baileigh got Sarah into the car. She thanked them for their help. Dean grunted his acknowledgement. The rest of the drive was painfully awkward; with Baileigh refusing to look anywhere but out the window and Dean silently counting his absence on his fingers.

Fortunately, the drive from Baileigh's neighborhood to the Men of Letters bunker was short, and the tense, quiet drive didn't last long. When the Impala parked in the bunker's garage Baileigh relaxed, distracted by all the shiny cars. She let Sam help get Sarah out of the car while she took a moment to look around. Her Chevelle was parked nearby. She lay a hand on its bright blue hood and her shoulders relaxed, "He looks good in here."

"That's all Dean. He makes sure it gets lots of attention."

She turned to share her appreciation with Dean, but with the exception of herself, Sam and Sarah still asleep dangling in his arms, the garage was empty.

"Damn," she cursed under her breath.

"He'll be okay. He's just in shock," he assured her, but creases had return to her brow. "He's alright now," _–as long as he's not fighting-_ "don't worry. You're safe here. And," he added, "he really is glad to see you."

She forced a smile, Sam was _trying_ and that meant a lot. "Thank you."

They stood in the garage a while longer while Baileigh took it all in; it smelled like home- not like her house, but where she belonged. It was comfortable.

Unable to resist the urge to ask any longer, Sam interrupted her reverie. "Why didn't you tell him?"

"I tried…" She sighed.

"You might want to try again," Sam said nodding toward the library where Dean was scrolling through news articles on his computer. Sarah started to stir and Sam turned so that she could see her mother. "I'll take her to Dean's room," he whispered, and quickly left Dean and Baileigh alone.

She walked up behind Dean and read the screen- he was looking for other attacks. "Any ideas? Are the Vampires back?"

"Kansas is quiet," he replied.

"That's good I guess."

"Sam and I still have to check your house. You and Sarah can stay here while we check it out." He stood and walked away.

"Dean, I tried to tell you." Baileigh called after him.

"Well," he scoffed, "you did a hell of a job."

"That's not fair."

"Neither is this!" His deep voice roared. He half turned, but couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"Dean, can we just talk?" She waited.

He heard her plea, but when he turned his eyes were pained, like an abused dog, looking at her unsure if he could trust her. "Were you attacked?" he asked, he was afraid of the answer.

"What?"

"Did someone _attack_ you?" he repeated.

"Oh, no," she assured him, rubbing little circles on her tummy.

"Good." He nodded as relief swept through his body- he didn't want to think of another thing he hadn't be around to help her through. "But no. I don't want to talk about it right now." He led her quietly through the bunker to his room.

Dean's bedroom was far from cozy but it was very 'Dean'; minimalist and clean, with weapons on the walls, an assortment of records in a milk crate by the dresser and pile of books and notes on the desk with his polishing kit, she loved it.

Sarah was already asleep in the bed when Baileigh bent down to kiss her. Sam was nowhere in sight. As she stood up, Baileigh noticed Sarah was holding a picture of Dean in a red and white school uniform surrounded by an elementary class holding dodge balls.

"I didn't know you taught at Truman."

Dean looked at her confused and then noticed the picture. "Where did she find that?" He grumbled. "Wait, how do you know Truman?"

"I have an Uncle who teaches English there," she said taking in the room.

"I thought…"

"He's not a blood relative. He married my father's sister and took her last name before she was killed- apparently he had some terrible name for a teacher..." She trailed off noticing the pictures on the nightstand, "I didn't know you kept this." She picked up the old picture of her and Sarah. "I'm glad we made the collection."

Dean nodded. "Get some rest while Sam and I go check your house."

Climbing the library steps Sam's head popped up and he crossed the Library eager for news. "So?" he asked in earnest. "Is it yours?"

Dean sneered. "I don't know."

"You didn't ask?"

"Focus. Let's just check the house."

"That can wait! Dean, go talk with her."

"I don't wanna talk."

"What do you want to do?"

"My job." Dean huffed marching off toward the garage. Sam looked back toward the bedrooms wishing there was more he could do, before following his brother back to the car.

 **Baileigh's house**

Baileigh's house was clear. There were footsteps in the garden, but other than that the house was clear of EMF or any signs of demons. Despite there being no sign that anything was amiss, it was clear that Baileigh had been spooked; she had salted all the window sills and doorways, drawn several sigils around the house from a cheat sheet Dean had given her that sat on the coffee table, a machete leaned against the wall by the front door and a large kitchen knife lay on the ground by the couch. She hadn't just been spooked when she called, Baileigh was scared. But there wasn't anything supernatural at her house to explain why she felt like she was in danger.

Checking the master bedroom Dean noticed a man's shirt crumpled on the bed. He groaned, failing not to imagine the man who had taken it off, and left that room for Sam to clear- he didn't want to find any other discarded clothes. When Dean told him why he was now in charge of clearing the master bedroom, Sam couldn't help but let curiosity take over. He picked up the shirt, it was a nondescript black t-shirt; not unlike those Dean wore- it could belong to anyone, most likely Baileigh had used it as an oversized night shirt. Then his eyes turned to the closet and his curiosity grew. He peeked in; Baileigh's clothes were all hanging for easy access. But there was a small pile of men's clothes that were folded in a basket on the floor- again, they could have been Dean's. Next he checked the bathroom- many of the items within mirrored those in the bunker's bathroom.

"Looks clear," Dean called as Sam came downstairs.

"Yeah, clear," he agreed. "Dean, I think you're freaking out for nothing."

"You don't think I have a right to be upset that my girlfriend's pregnant?"

"That's not what I meant. She should have told you. Obviously. But Dean, there's no sign that there's anyone else in her life. _Your_ clothes are in the basket in the closet. _Your_ beer is in the fridge."

"Maybe her new guy likes the same beer."

"Dean,"

"She's moving on with her life, without me." Dean sat defeated. Sam brought two beers from the kitchen, handed one to his brother and sat on the couch listening carefully. "She's having a baby Sam."

"I know." Sam sighed.

"We hadn't really talked about it, but I was starting to think that once I got _this_ ," he indicated the Mark of Cain, "off my arm, life might get a little easier and…"

"And you could actually have a life?" Sam supplied. Dean nodded. "Do you want kids?"

"I just figured that if we ever settled down I'd be there ya' know?" he replied ignoring Sam's question. "I'd be the one to hold her hair when she had morning sickness and I would be the one to go for midnight craving runs."

"It doesn't look like there was anyone else doing that for her Dean."

"That's even worse." Dean finished his beer quickly. Sam was lost, so Dean continued, "If she doesn't have a new boy-toy, that means this is one more thing she's had to do alone."

"You two really need to talk."

"I'm scared Sam." Dean's eyes were glossy when he looked at his brother. Sam waited for him to answer his silent _'scared of what?'_ question, but Dean couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. _What if she actually met someone else? What if she's happy? And she's moving on and building a life with someone else. What if our life isn't enough for her anymore?_ He shuddered. _I guess I couldn't blame her,_ he admitted. He thought of all the times he'd left her; when he was sent to Purgatory, when he was a demon, every time he left her for a job or because it was too dangerous to be around him. He thought of all the times he had put them in danger; _The Horsemen, Dick Roman, Abaddon, even the King of Hell,_ he thought. If any of them had known about her or wanted to, they could have killed her to get to him. Their life with Dean was unpredictable, inconsistent and dangerous. _Who would wait around for more of that when they could have steady, reliable and safe?_ Then it occurred to him, _what if she really had moved on?_ His shoulders tensed as he looked around the house and realized this house might not be _home_ for him anymore. Imagining that Baileigh and Sarah weren't _his_ girls anymore bothered him more than he could explain.

Sam could tell Dean wasn't going to explain and he dropped it. "Let's head back. Maybe there's something in Dad's journal that will help."

"Research." Dean rolled his eyes. "My favourite."

 **Back at the bunker**

The boys hit the books hard when they got back to the bunker. Dean was the first to find something. There was a scribble at the bottom of the page on the day that Baileigh's parents had died, _Werewolves?_

"You ever heard of Vamps and Werewolves hunting together?" Dean wondered. Sam looked up from his book.

"Not outside of a teen romance novel. Why?"

"Something in dad's journal doesn't add up." Dean flipped the pages curiously as if the answer to his questions might fall out of it.

"Well I'll do a search," Sam said opening his laptop, "you go talk to Baileigh and see if she remembers anything." He tried to be nonchalant but Dean saw through him. Sam just wanted them to talk. Dean groaned. "Rip off the bandage," Sam called after him, using one of Baileigh's favourite lines.

Dean had barely crossed the threshold out of the library when the bunker went dark. Dean turned to look back at Sam still illuminated by his computer screen. "What the hell?"

Sam shrugged. "I'll check the breakers. You- go talk to Baileigh."

As Sam ran off, using his phone to light the way, Dean turned down the hall toward their bedrooms. The door to his room was ajar and he knocked softly so he wouldn't wake Sarah. "Lee, can we talk about the night you met John?" He figured _the night your met John_ was a polite way to say 'the worst night of your life, the night your parents died.' There was silence from the bedroom. "Baileigh come on. I'm trying to help. Anything you remember could be useful."

Nothing.

Dean shined his light into the room, "Lee?" But the room was quiet. The bed was tossed and empty. He called down the hallway, "Baileigh, it's just the power, Sam's checking the breaker. You don't have to hide."

"Dean!" Sam shouted running up the hall to him. "The power's been cut." He huffed. "How're the girls?"

"I dunno. They're not in my room," he replied instantly nervous. Dean grabbed a gun from behind the dresser. "BAILEIGH!" He growled. Sam ducked into the next room and grabbed a gun from a closet. Without flashlights, Sam and Dean walked through the bunker guns up, seeing by the light from their phones.

"Lee! Sarah!" There was a growl deep in Dean's chest as he listened for an answer and received none. Sam watched his brother nervously as they moved through the rooms watching for the moment Dean would snap and the Mark of Cain would take over. But it seemed like Dean was too focused to let The Mark take over right now.

The Winchesters moved slowly through the darkened bunker. Their flashlights; eventually scavenged from the kitchen, searched every room for any sign of movement. Dean tried to keep his deep voice steady as he called out again for his girls, "Baileigh! Sarah!" but received no answer except the hollow reverberation of his voice through the tiled halls. There was a rumble in his chest before he called out again, "Come on sweetheart, shout if you can hear me!"

Through the empty halls of the Men of Letters hideout a thud and crash, was followed by a panicked and muffled scream of "DEAN!" and an extended and desperate plea of "NOOOOO!", trailed by even more crashes and growls. The screams forced the brothers to move faster. In the darkness no one could see the look on Dean's face, but if they could have seen it, they would have seen a look of stubborn determination and unyielding fury.

"Sammy," Dean said quietly as they approached the steps up to the library.

"I know Dean. We'll get them back." Sam tried to be as reassuring as possible. His effort was wasted as a child's sobs, followed by her mother's shriek of terror seized Dean's heart.

"SARAH!" he shouted, bolting forward, leaving Sam behind. His flashlight flicked across the library searching desperately for her. "Sarah!" But there was no sign of either of his girls or whatever had grabbed them. They had been away for moments and the library was already in shambles; tables were over turned, books had fallen out of their shelves, a bald man lay on the ground unconscious- Baileigh was resisting, hard. He remembered the ass kicking she'd given him first time they'd met and knew she could handle herself until he got to her.

Catching up to his brother Sam shouted hearing the old, heavy metal door to the bunker close above them, "Outside!"

Dean led the way taking the stairs three at a time as they raced out of the bunker. The heavy door opened onto the road just in time to see the silhouettes of several figures running to the shadows of the trees behind the bunker. Racing after them, Dean skidded to a halt when Sam cried out behind him,

"DEAN! WAIT!" Sam's flashlight was illuminating the little blond body of a young girl sprawled out on the asphalt a few yards away.

"No..." Dean gasped. He ran as fast as he could to her side, "No, no, no, no babygirl." He slid to Sarah's side and patted her cheek trying to wake her. "Come on sweetheart, stay with me." When Sarah didn't open her eyes he shouted for his brother's help. "Sam!"

Sam already had two fingers pressed to the side of the little girl's neck; right above a bloody bite mark. He waited and counted. The younger brother shook his head; there was no pulse.

"Well do something!" Dean demanded desperate. Sam shouldered him out of the way and started CPR. Dean watched Sam compress Sarah's chest with a look that combined heartbreak and fear. He sat on the wet asphalt in silence. He ignored the rain, and the crashing of thunder in the distance. His sole focus was Sarah's round face, longing for her to open her eyes and breathe.

A familiar scream in the woods pulled Dean's attention away from Sarah for a second. It was Baileigh.

"I've got this Dean. Go."

"No," Dean said. His hands were balled into fists grinding his knuckles into the rough asphalt, shaving off a layer of skin as another scream scared birds from the trees at his back in the early morning darkness.

"Go. I won't leave her. I swear." Sam assured his older brother between laboured breaths. Rain mixed with the sweat on his brow as he continued CPR. A gentle hand rested delicately on Sarah's forehead for a moment before Dean got up and ran into the trees after her mother.


	23. Chapter 23- Calling All Favours

Dean slipped on muddy earth and wet, fallen leaves in the rain, racing through the trees after the marauders. He focussed on Baileigh's cries as she screamed for Sarah, cursing the monsters that had hurt her. Cresting the hill Dean saw a group forcing Baileigh into a large black car. She struggled to resist them; one kick dislocated the knee cap of one of the men who fell to the ground.

"LEE!" Dean roared running down the hill after her.

A quick punch to the back of the head from one of the women in the party made Baileigh go limp. The rest of the group dragged her into the car and slammed the doors. Racing after the car as it prepared to speed away Dean raised his gun and debated shooting at the car- he didn't want to risk hitting Baileigh. He released one shot at a straggler and caught her in the arm as she jumped in the car.

Legs running as fast as they could, chest heaving, Dean ran after them. His next shots were aimed at the tires, but the car was already speeding away. He stopped at the intersection with the next road and watched the black car drive away into the early morning darkness. Although he hadn't stopped them, he had memorized the make, model and licence plate to track them later. He turned around to head back to Sarah when he noticed Castiel at his side. His shoulders tensed when the Angel appeared.

"What are you doing here? Go find Sam, help Sarah!" He said running back.

"I saw her. It's over." Castiel shouted after Dean without moving. "I'm here to help you now."

Dean stopped.

With Castiel's words echoing around him, _It's over,_ Dean shouted to the heavens. His cry, helpless and heartbroken echoed through the trees; it was the same cry known across the world and is unique to grieving parents. The world stood still for Dean.

Grief blinded him- he didn't see anything past his breath hanging misty white in the air in front of him as his chest heaved and he tried to breathe.

Grief deafened him- he didn't hear anything other than the pounding of his heart.

"Dean!" Sam shouted racing over the hill toward his brother's lamenting cries. He shouted trying to break through his older brother's pain fuelled haze. "DEAN!"

Dimly aware, Dean noticed Sam's large frame cresting the hill. He wanted to be alone but he couldn't bring himself to move. Sam was running at him and there was nothing Dean could do but turn back to the wet asphalt under his knees. He felt too broken to move or look away so he let Sam approach and kneel in front of him.

Dean's senses cleared as Sam grabbed him and forced him to look up. "Dean! Focus!" Sam shouted holding Dean's face with one hand. "It's okay," he repeated over and over. He spoke softly as Dean blinked the fog from his eyes and focussed on his brother. "She's fine. It's okay. Sarah's right here."

It took a moment for Dean to realize that Sam was holding his jacket in one arm, underneath that jacket Sarah was clinging tight to Sam, trying to stay warm. She was wet and shivering, but alive. Her round eyes watched Dean frightened as his eyes focussed on her.

Dean didn't say anything and didn't move. His eyes flicked to Sam's in disbelief -in Hell, this was the kind of trick Demons pulled; tugging at heart strings and opening old wounds day in and day out. But he wasn't in Hell, was he?

"It's okay," Sam reassured him, "she's fine." Rain soaked hair clung to Sarah's cheeks as she shivered in Sam's arms. Her eyes started to water as she waited for Dean to recognize her. The first sight of her sobs broke Dean of any doubts. He reached for her and held her tight. The transition from Sam's arms to Dean's was flawless and instantaneous. Sarah cried into his shoulder as he held her, telling her softly that she was safe now.

After a while Dean stood; one hand still stroking the back of her head, and joined Sam and Castiel. He desperately wanted to shout, _'Why would you say it like that?'_ at the Angel but that would just scare Sarah again and Castiel _still_ wouldn't understand what was wrong with the way he told Dean that Sarah was okay. He looked at Sam pointedly, ignoring Castiel, and then spoke to Sarah. "They got your momma, but we're gonna get her back, so you don't have to be scared. K?" Sarah nodded. And he held her tight to remind himself she was okay.

"What's the plan?" Sam wondered while Dean pulled out his phone, scrolled through the contacts and put it to his ear.

"Hey Jody, I need a favour." He nodded as she replied, _Anything for you boys. What's shakin'?_ "Can you watch Sarah for a while?" _Sure Dean. Is Baileigh alright?_ "She'd better be." He replied. _When can I expect you?_ "Any minute." _Oh… okay. I'll make a few calls. See you when you get here._ They hung up and Dean hoisted Sarah in his arms, "Jody's gonna watch Sarah." He looked at Sarah, "Remember Jody? She's an old friend and she'll keep you safe while we go after your mom." Dean turned back to Castiel, "I need you to save us the drive."

"I... I can't Dean." Castiel stepped forward still unsure why Dean looked so angry with him. Still unable to fly after losing his wings when the Angels were cast from Heaven, he looked helplessly back at Dean. Dean hung his head, feeling stupid.

Sam watched his brother look at his phone weighing his options. "No way Dean." He cautioned as Dean pressed #666 on his speed dial and had a quick conversation. When Dean put the phone back in his pocket Sam shook his head. "Please tell me you didn't." But Dean didn't have to answer.

A puff of red smoke announced Crowley's arrival in the street. Sam groaned, and Castiel shifted his weight from side to side uncomfortably. "Cavalry's here," the King of Hell said with raised arms as he announced himself proudly. He looked around at all their unamused faces and his smile turned to a frown. "You ask for a favour, I drop my knitting, and I don't get so much as a 'Hello Crowley'?"

Sam glared at the King of Hell as Dean stepped forward. "Take me to Sioux Falls."

"Why?"

" 'Cause I'm asking ya' and you owe me!" Dean stomped his foot on the wet asphalt as he shouted.

"Well you aren't asking very politely." The Demon pouted and approached looking curiously at Sarah. The young girl's arms were wrapped tight around Dean's neck, her grip tightened slightly at Crowley's approach. "Is this the broad you left me for?" he teased. Dean rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Bit young, don't ya think?"

"Come on Crowley. I need you to take us to Sioux Falls."

"Well, it's nice to be needed." He winked at Sam and Castiel as he, Dean and Sarah all disappeared in another cloud of red smoke.

"You think he's coming back for us?" Sam asked turning to Castiel.

"It is unlikely," the angel replied shaking his head. Sam scuffed his boot in the dirt at the side of the road, pulled out his phone and made a call.

 **Sioux Falls, South Dakota**

Dean's stomach lurched when his feet touched the ground again. The flight with Crowley from Kansas to South Dakota had felt instantaneous, but his stomach churned unhappily. To distract himself from the pain in his gut Dean focussed on the door in front of him and knocked three times. He pushed Crowley to stay a step behind him. "You stay out here."

"I think I'll have to." Crowley agreed looking through the window and realizing whose house this was. Jody Mills; he remembered threatening before, paced the kitchen. It was unlikely that she'd forgotten his face after he tried to kill her. If he went inside, she'd recognize him for sure, plus, this was a Winchester friendly zone- this house was definitely covered in devil traps.

When the door opened, a very tired looking teenager with long dark hair looked at Dean surprised. "That was fast."

"Hey Alex."

"Where'd you park?"

"Didn't drive," Dean dismissed letting himself in. Alex eyed Crowley curiously as Dean told him to stay put, like an owner giving a command to his dog. He closed the door leaving the King of Hell on the porch. Inside, Jody was still pacing the kitchen on the phone.

"I know it's late! But you owe me Earl. Don't make me beg." She had one hand on her hip and beckoned Dean into the living room. "That's a good man. Thank you." When she hung up Jody raced to Dean and wrapped him in her arms before looking at Sarah, "You've grown up." She smiled at the young girl. "You can sleep in my room. Alex? Show Dean where it is." Alex nodded and led Dean and Sarah through the house to Jody's room. When Dean came back empty handed, Jody stopped him before he got to the front door. "I haven't got two words out of you in the whole sixty seconds since you came in. What's going on?"

"It's Baileigh."

"Obviously. I'm not an idiot." She rolled her eyes, a hand returning to her hip impatiently. When she spoke again it was much more delicate, "Is it vampires?" she asked as Alex came back into the room. Dean nodded and Alex stiffened, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And werewolves."

"Working together?" Alex asked in surprise.

"Looks like it." Dean shook his head. "Looks like they just wanted Baileigh, but in case any of them come for Sarah, are you two up for this?"

Jody and Alex nodded in unison. Jody moved to the umbrella stand at the front door to reveal a machete hidden among everything else.

"Right, and silver bullets for the werewolves."

"I've got some in the office." Jody pointed to the room at her back. Dean raised his eyes in a silent question. "We're ready for anything. Don't worry Dean, we got this. She's safe."

"Thanks again Jody," Dean marched through the house, and stopped at the front door, spun and doubled back to wrap Jody in another hug before meeting Crowley on the driveway and asking the demon to take him back to Kansas, "really."

 **Back at the bunker an hour later**

"Backup's here." Sam said. Dean's head popped up from the Impala's trunk as an old, wood panelled station wagon drove up the road to them. It stopped beside the Impala and out stepped a Hunter; tall and lanky as ever. He opened his arms as he approached.

"Thanks for coming Garth." Dean said as Garth pulled him into a hug.

"Glad to help. So what do y'all need my help with anyway?"

"Not yet," Sam interrupted. Dean turned to him confused. "We're waiting for one more, so don't explain just yet."

Dean looked around and counted heads: himself, Sam, Castiel, -Crowley had stuck around for some reason- and Garth. Charlie was still in Oz and Jody's watching Sarah. _Who else is there?_

Sam nodded down the road as a dark Jeep rumbled up the street. It parked a few feet away from the Impala and Dean stared at the tinted windows curiously as the door opened and he recognized the black cap and jacket of his old friend. "Benny?" he said stunned. "What are you doing here?"

"Lil' brother says you've got trouble and figured I could lend a hand."

Dean pulled the vampire into a strong hug. Garth caught his scent in the air and backed away uncertain. He looked to Sam with concern, but the younger Winchester only nodded a discreet approval. Garth made an unhappy face, but stayed quiet as Dean continued talking to his old friend. "I thought we left you in Purgatory," Dean sounded impressed.

"Ya' did. But lil' brother here let me sweat for a few months and came back for me." Benny extended a friendly hand to Sam who shook it. "Been layin' low, keepin' my nose clean ever since."

Dean and Sam shared a look before Dean turned to everyone. "Anyone else we're expecting?" Sam shook his head no. "Right. A nest of vamps just attacked my girl and her kid." He took a moment before continuing, he didn't say her name because he knew it would make him upset, but even calling Baileigh _my girl_ was tough to say. "The kid's fine- thanks to Sam and Cas," Crowley looked around with wide arms and a gaping mouth waiting for recognition that never came, "but they took Baileigh." He contained a growl in his gut saying her name. Benny crossed his arms listening intent.

"Baileigh Wyatt?" Garth asked recognizing the name. "Bobby had me check up on her a couple times a few years ago. They finally found her?"

Dean nodded. "They got her whole family over the years and have been hunting her since she was little," he explained to Benny who nodded. "But this time, they broke into my house, tried to kill Sarah and took Baileigh right under my nose." His hands made fists. "I want her back."

"Then what are we waitin' for brother?" Benny rolled his shoulders ready for a fight.

"Sam and I think they're working with a pack of werewolves. So this is going to be a big fight, and I want you to know that before we head out, but you're all I've got. And Sam, Cas and I need your help."

"I'm with ya' brother." Benny clasped Dean on the shoulder and stood at his side.

In front of them, Garth looked nervous. "Dean-o, I'll do whatever I can, but I don't want to endanger my pack as a result. If I fight with you and those werewolves recognize my pack's scent..."

Dean nodded. "All I need from you Garth, is for you to track her. Once we find Baileigh there's no need for you to fight and risk them going after your pack. I don't want to risk any backlash for you."

"I appreciate that."

Dean leaned into the trunk of the Impala and pulled out a blue plaid shirt; a favourite of Baileigh's, and tossed it to Garth. The Lycanthrope held the shirt to his face and sniffed. "No wonder you like her Dean," he smiled, "she smells of cinnamon and car polish."

Dean tried to smile but only managed a grunt. "Can you find her?" he asked. Garth nodded. "Then let's get on the road. Garth, you lead. Cas, you're with Benny. Crowley, you're with me and Sam."

"Now hang on one minute. Why am I sitting behind Moose? I never agreed to anything," he whined as he climbed into the back of the Impala and continued to complain that he should be riding shot gun as the Winchesters slammed their doors in unison.

Garth led the chase in his wood panelled station wagon, windows rolled down smelling for Baileigh's trail. Behind him, Sam drove the Impala while Dean sat in the passenger seat watching Garth's tail lights anxiously. The dark Jeep followed the Impala closely, carrying Benny and Castiel sitting in awkward silence.

The station wagon veered onto a side road and rumbled down a dirt path until the brake lights flashed as Garth parked. The Impala rolled to a stop beside him. Dean rolled down his window to face Garth. Garth's round eyes bulged as he shied away and pointed to an old warehouse. He grimaced. "She's in there."


	24. Chapter 24- Car polish and cinnamon

The Impala -and Benny's Jeep- was left in the back parking lot of a neighbouring factory where patrols wouldn't see her and alert Baileigh's captors to the Winchester's presence.

Their group, outfitted with silver rounds and machetes; the angel and demon each carried an angel blade, marched quietly toward the warehouse- even Crowley kept quiet. Dean was glad for the silence. He had enough thoughts racing through his head that he didn't need to focus on filtering out voices too. They gathered around a corner, spying on a side entrance. No guards. No cameras.

Dean turned to the group, "I don't know how smart these guys are," he started.

Benny cut in, "Skilled maybe, but smart? No- they thought they could take from a Winchester." He let out a quiet laugh. Dean did not laugh, but he appreciated the sentiment.

"But they _are_ clever. They broke figured out how to break into the bunker. So assume they've set up demon traps and sigils to ward against you two." He raised his eyebrows at Castiel and Crowley. "You're my heavy hitters- _if_ we can get you in."

He looked back at the vampire standing on his right. "Benny, you're with me." Then he looked to Sam on his left. "Sam, my six. Cas, Crowley, you two stay together and follow behind." Castiel made a disappointed face and Crowley faked choking on his breath and looked at Dean aghast- annoyed by being paired with the angel. Dean ignored them.

"Sammy," Dean's voice almost broke. "I don't know what's going to happen in there," his hand unconsciously covered the Mark of Cain on his forearm, fully aware that he really couldn't predict how he would react in the warehouse; his blood boiled just thinking of Baileigh in there, "but you've always had the cool head, so matter what, you get her out." He looked pointedly at Sam. The look the brothers exchanged needed no explanation. Sam's eyebrows flattened, he clenched his jaw and nodded- he would do everything he could to get Baileigh out of the warehouse safely, even, if that meant leaving Dean behind.

"Yeah, Dean. No matter what." His reply was cold. He'd agreed, but he didn't like the terms, he didn't like the idea of leaving Dean in the hands of a nest of vampires and a pack werewolves; let alone, with Crowley.

Dean took a final glance to make sure their path was still clear and led the way into the warehouse with Sam at his back and Benny at his side, while the powerhouses trailed behind unhappy with their lot.

As they entered the building Castiel thought Dean was still punishing him for not being able to fly him to Sioux Falls, but realized quickly why he and Crowley had been paired together. Within the first couple steps into the old building Crowley froze, stuck in place by one of the many traps Dean had said they'd encounter. Castiel rolled his eyes, but when the blade dropped from his sleeve he did not attack. Instead, he dragged the blade through the paint and broke the seal, releasing the King of Hell. The Demon straightened his jacket and grunted his appreciation.

In the next room Crowley returned the favor- the whole time calling Castiel a pathetic excuse for a guard dog. Castiel and Crowley quickly fell behind the others as they took turns releasing each other from the traps and sigils that bound them, or kept them from going any further into the warehouse. It was a game of supernatural leap-frog, and neither of them enjoyed it.

Further into the building Dean was still leading the others. The building was large and mostly empty, but any scouts they ran into were quickly overpowered by Benny's ruthless and swift brutality. None of his victims had time to scream or call for help before he had severed their vocal chords and cut off their heads, leaving a silent, bloody trail of bread crumbs for the angel and demon to follow when they caught up.

"Your friend said _she_ ," Benny avoided using her name for Dean's sake- but Dean knew who he meant, "smells like car polish and cinnamon?" Benny whispered catching her scent in the air. Dean nodded. With a quick tilt of his head Benny led the way down another hall to a closed door with a small window. Beyond the metal door and its grubby little window stood a small group, standing in a rough semi-circle by the back wall. Dean tried to make out Baileigh, but couldn't see her through the crowd. His heart pounded, loud as thunder in his chest, as his ears strained to hear anything beyond the door.

Sam turned to Benny, but Dean was too focussed to hear what was said.

Inside, someone was speaking.

Someone laughed.

The crowd murmured.

Baileigh screamed.

And Dean's world went black.

 *****Castiel/ Crowley*****

Crowley took his time inspecting one of the offices along the way as he and Castiel followed Benny's trail. "Some people get to have all the fun." He pouted knocking a severed head out of his path with the tip of his shoe. Castiel shook his head and motioned for Crowley to keep up. When he didn't follow, the angel popped his head back into the office.

"You know this is a rescue mission right?" he said, debating whether he would get anywhere if he threatened Crowley.

"Dean did seem rather on edge. Is everything alright at home?" He raised his eyebrows at Castiel, trying to provoke him. It worked.

Castiel lunged forward with his blade raised, but kept it pointed away from Crowley's face. "This is not a joke Crowley!" Castiel shook with rage, both at Dean for sticking him with Crowley, and at Crowley for being an insensitive ass- though he didn't know why he expected anything else from the demon. "Dean asked for your help because we need to get them out of here as quickly as possible!"

" _Them_?" Crowley asked. The word danced on his tongue and his mood brightened as he suspected Castiel had let secret information slip. "I thought we were here for Dean's little-bit-on-the-side." He meant it as a joke, but Castiel thought the demon sounded jealous as he said it. "Are you saying that Moose finally got a girl? Did the baddies get her too?" His eyes danced with excitement.

Castiel sighed at his companion's childishness. "No." The lack of explanation was like candy held just out of reach for the demon and he followed Castiel from the room desperate for more details. He practically clung to the angel demanding more. "Dean's _piece-on-the-side_ as you call her, is with child." The angel exhaled pushing Crowley off of him. But Castiel didn't get time to explain as a group of vampires- and werewolves- surrounded them. Crowley froze- like someone had pressed pause while watching a movie- as he digested the new information. When he finally moved, he tilted his head to Castiel who had his blade held out at his side, ready for a fight.

"Are you saying these blood guzzlers and butt sniffers kidnapped a _pregnant_ woman?" He put the emphasis on 'pregnant', almost as if the word left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Crowley…" Castiel warned as the group approached.

"Is that what they did?" He repeated, spitting the words. This time his voice was cold.

"Yes."

Now Crowley moved. He turned and looked at the men and women surrounding them and spoke up with a familiar flare of theatricality. "Hello everyone," the coldness Castiel had heard in his voice had disappeared. "Let's get some introductions out of the way before we continue. Cas, my feathered friend over here -well I use the term friend for alliteration only- is wound a bit tight. You'll be crying blood through eyeless sockets if you piss him off- so it's best to keep your distance. But, that's nothing compared to me. I'm Crowley." He waved and did a little curtsy. "King of Hell." The smart members of the crowd stiffened as Crowley spoke, but the crowd continued their slow approach anyway, until Crowley continued. "Normally I couldn't give a rat's fart what you _sobs_ get up to. That's your business." He paused.

"Then what are you doing here?" A gutsy male with long braids asked.

Crowley picked at his nails. "You've all heard people joke about the special circle of Hell that's reserved for pedophiles, child molesters and rapists?" He looked up from his cuticles curious. "Well, it's a real place. And it's not quite so exclusive. It's also home for eternity to anyone who kills or harms a child, or puts a child's life in danger." The approach halted and everyone regarded Crowley curiously for a moment- even Castiel. "Good, I've got your attention. Now, I want you all to think about my next question very carefully," Crowley took a step forward and opened his arms, the coldness returned to his voice, "who do you suppose created that special circle of Hell?" His head tilted to the side as he regarded the gathered crowd.

A few vampires exchanged nervous glances and took a step back as Crowley bowed; his eyes never left the crowd around them.

 *****Dean/Sam/Benny*****

The room beyond the metal door and its little window was much bigger than they had anticipated and Sam, Dean and Benny were quickly overwhelmed by the rest of the nest and the pack of werewolves. Despite the number of people in the room, Dean and Benny each piled up a body count as Sam ran straight for Baileigh.

Whatever they had expected to see, it was not this.

True to her nature, pregnant or not, Baileigh had put up a fight. She was bloodied and bruised; a deep cut in her eyebrow dripped blood over a swollen eye and down her cheek and neck. Her legs were bound, her mouth was duct-tapped shut and her arms were spread and chained to the wall. Intravenous lines were stuck into her arms as she was being forced liquids and drained of her blood.

Dean watched over his shoulder as Sam knelt in front of her. His hands ran over the cut in Baileigh's brow, over her swollen face, and to the needles in her arm. He spoke softly to her, but she made no indication that she knew he was there.

"We're here. We've got you. Sarah's safe. Don't worry. We've got you."

"Get her the Hell outta' here Sam!" Dean shouted as his machete separated the head from another attacker- werewolf or vampire, it didn't matter, neither survived decapitation.

"I know, I know, I know," Sam muttered trying to figure out how to untangle her from the mess of ropes, chains and tubes.

Then he heard Dean grunt, and turned, shouting for his brother as a lithe female jumped around Benny's flailing blade and struck Dean in the back of the head with the handle of her knife.

Once Dean burst into the room, he and Benny had cut a path through the spectators so that Sam's path to Baileigh was clear. In the seconds Dean took to look at Baileigh, the blunt end of a knife collided with the back of his head and he fell to the floor with a thud.

 *****Baileigh*****

Baileigh was tired, dizzy and so sore that she couldn't see straight. She had run out of tears an hour ago. The monsters had taped her mouth shut to stop her from repeating Sarah's name over and over.

When the door opened and three men burst in, Baileigh tried to focus, but her head swam in pain. Her gut was seizing, her head throbbing, and her extremities were numb. It wasn't until the face kneeling in front of hers turned and yelled, that she found anything to focus on. His yell cut through her pain and she blinked to clear her vision as he shouted, "DEAN!"

Behind Sam, Baileigh watched Dean's eyes roll to the back of his head as he fell to the floor. The moment his body slammed against the floor, Baileigh's pain returned like a wave. Again, her body surged with pain and she screamed against the tape on her mouth as her insides writhed in pain. Her vision blurred once more when Sam turned back to her. She heard the faint noises of gunshots, more shouting, and could swear she felt someone breathing over her shoulder, before the pain overwhelmed her and she faded back into unconsciousness.

 *****Castiel/ Crowley*****

The room was far from quiet when the metal door opened again. Bodies lay in lines leading away from the door, with a clear path to Baileigh, who was still bound and bleeding, her head hung limp on her chest. Benny was being held by two large men- blood dripped from his mouth- he growled and yelled at the men restraining him as they called him a traitor. Dean was hanging by chains around his wrists dangling from a steel beam in the low ceiling. His teeth were stained with the blood dripping into his mouth from a broken nose. Sam was the only one still fighting. Hand cuffs dangled from one wrist, while the other held an old blade. His head swept the room as he fought through a battle of wits and muscle, with the captors around him, still trying to figure out how to keep his promise to his brother.

"That's enough Sam." Castiel said stepping into the room beside Crowley.

Everyone turned to Crowley expecting him to say something, but the King of Hell simply shrugged his shoulders. "I've already made my introduction. It's not my fault you missed it." He said coldly. The vampires and werewolves looked to their leader, standing over Baileigh, running his hands through her long hair. He didn't look nearly concerned enough when Crowley continued, "see you in Hell." The demon raised his hands and a deep growl echoed around the room. "Romeo, Juliet, you know the rules." Crowley stood still for a moment while Castiel shoved the leader away from Baileigh and shielded her with his body. When the King of Hell dropped his hands, chaos erupted in the warehouse room. Crowley's favourite hellhounds tore through the room, cutting down person after person, bathing the room in slick, crimson reds.

Sam stayed still in the center of the room as the invisible hellhounds raced around him. Dean could feel their muscular bodies brush his sides as they ran past. One of the invisible hounds stopped in front of Benny and growled unhappily, but a quick whistle from Crowley called off the beast.

"Check the other rooms." Crowley dismissed. The beasts raced off in a clamour of growls and nails scrapping on metal. Crowley crouched over the leader as he choked on his own blood. "That's enough of that," he said, before dragging his blade over the leader's neck severing his head from his body. Then he reached into the dead leader's jacket pocket and withdrew the key to Dean's handcuffs.

When Dean was released, he raced over to where Baileigh had been tied up. Benny had already released her arms, Sam had untied her legs and removed the IV's from her arm and Castiel had removed the tape from her mouth and now had a hand on her forehead. The swelling around her eye had gone away and the cut over her eyebrow had already healed, but she still looked pale, blood covered and terrible.

Her body shook and she screamed once more.

Hovering over her, Castiel looked nervously up at everyone else as Dean pushed closer to her. The angel's eyes darted from Dean to Sam, and back. His voice, always deep, was fast and urgent. "We need to get her to a hospital."


	25. Chapter 25- The Promise

"We need to get her to a hospital." Castiel's deep voice echoed through the warehouse room.

Dean approached holding his arm at an awkward angle. There had been so much adrenaline pumping through his veins he hadn't noticed his arm had been broken sometime during the fight. "I can't lift her like this." Dean groaned. Castiel stood to heal his arm as a shrieking howl echoed through the warehouse. The hellhounds' lamenting cry sent shudders down their spines.

"Juliet?" Crowley called, spinning on the balls of his feet in time to see another wave of vampires flood the room. At their heels, was a much older vampire, older, stronger, and wiser- an Alpha. _This_ , was their leader. The Alpha inhaled deeply, taking pleasure in the smell of the room. His long nails trailed down his neck, as if he were excited just to be in the same room as Baileigh. Dean noticed the desire in the Alpha's stare as he strode toward her.

The elder Winchester's blood boiled in a half jealous/ half protective rage, fuelled by fear and love. He grabbed the nearest weapon; bracing his broken arm against his body, as the vampires lunged. In the chaos, Castiel was knocked into a post and did not move, Benny roared jumping into the fray in front of Baileigh. Dean turned to his brother, "Go!"

Sam scooped Baileigh into his arms and turned to Crowley, "Sioux Falls Memorial!" he shouted. The King of Hell didn't hesitate before sweeping Sam and Baileigh away in a cloud of crimson smoke as the vampires overwhelmed the old warehouse room.

A moment later, red smoke dissipated in the wind outside of Sioux Falls Memorial Hospital. Sam clutched Baileigh tight, looking toward the EMERGENCY entrance. "Go back and help the others!" he told Crowley.

The King of Hell rolled his eyes. "Only because you asked so _nicely_."

"Help!" Sam shouted running into the hospital. "Somebody help me!" Nurses jumped up from their seats behind the triage desk and raced to his side. He muttered a lie about a car crash as they led him to a gurney and helped him lower Baileigh onto it.

Lying on the bed Baileigh's pregnant belly was obvious, and the nurses exchanged nervous glances. They tried to lead Sam back to the waiting room but Sam would not go. With all the authority and the no-nonsense attitude of John Winchester, Sam said, "I'm staying with her." Nobody dared challenge him.

The hospital staff were quick to get Baileigh into a room and cleaned up. They put her on intravenous fluids and blood, and gave her medication to try to keep her from going into labour. For the moment, she was still. Sam looked around the tiny hospital room and shuddered. He hated hospitals. Sam couldn't stand the beeps and codes that echoed in every room and hallway throughout the building. He found the nurses bustling about with their pitying looks, annoying. And, he'd always had to stop himself from screaming whenever he saw someone stop to gawk in a hospital room window- silently wondering if someone inside was dying.

He hated the pain.

He hated the sickness.

He hated the death.

Sam had seen his father lying still on a hospital bed once. Bobby had died in a hospital too. Dean had been to the hospital more times than Sam could count. And, more recently, Sam had nearly died in one himself.

He hated hospitals and yet, here he was, sitting in another uncomfortable chair, beside another hospital bed, with beeps and chimes sounding in his ears, as nurses rushed in and out, staring hopefully at Baileigh. The nurses had seen her, read her charts and held no optimism for her. They kept saying, _but there's still hope for the baby_ \- as if that would make everything okay.

Baileigh was dying, and they wanted to deliver the baby, now, and there was nothing he could do but ask the Doctor's to wait, _just a little longer_ , just until Dean saw her.

So, he prayed. He'd prayed many times, and kept praying. No one had heard from _the big guy_ in a long time. He hadn't been answering anyone, least of all a Winchester, but Sam was desperate, and had no other choice. Sam knew that if Baileigh died before Dean saw her- that even if he hadn't been cursed with the Mark of Cain- that her death would cause Sam to lose his brother, forever.

His head was still bowed over clasped hands when he heard Baileigh stir. "Sarah," she muttered. Her voice cracked against her dry throat and she blinked, trying to look around. Baileigh's eyes rolled. She couldn't focus and felt like her head was submerged in water. She lay back clutching her head.

Sam spoke softly. "It's okay. Sarah's fine." Hearing her daughter's name, Baileigh turned toward Sam's voice; still unable to focus on him. She called out for Sarah again, her arms reaching out blindly for the young girl. "It's okay Baileigh. Sarah's safe," Sam repeated. He held her grabbing hand and squeezed to reassure her. At the touch, Baileigh relaxed slightly. Her free hand traced little circles over her belly as she lay back again and closed her eyes. "Yeah. Rest up. Dean should be here any minute." But she didn't hear him. Baileigh was exhausted and delirious. The nurse had come in to check the charts and tutted softly. Sam looked to her, annoyed by the interruption.

"The medications aren't working as they should. You should prepare yourself. We need to prep her for surgery."

Sam shook his head. "Why?"

The nurse tilted her head and gave him that pitying look he hated so much. "Your friend is in no shape to give birth, and the baby's coming. If we wait, we risk putting both their lives in danger."

Sam's jaw twitched. "Please, just wait a little longer," he didn't add _my brother's coming_ \- that was none of her business. The nurse left the room shaking her head.

"It's okay, Dean will be here soon." Sam squeezed her hand again.

She looked toward Sam but not at him, as though she were looking past him to something else; the person she _wanted_ to see.

"Hey," her voice was soft, she continued as her eyes rimmed with tears, "I was wondering if I'd get to see you." Her body shook. The machines on the wall behind her beeped loudly. "Just give me a minute k?"

Sam regarded her curiously, "A minute for what?" and realized she wasn't looking at him.

Her hands ran over her stomach as a tear slid down her cheek before she turned to Sam, "I'm so sorry."

Pulling his chair closer to the bed, Sam shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. They took you from our home. _We_ left you. We're the one who should be sorry."

"I…I…" she stammered, "should have told you, but… I was scared."

Sam forced a laugh. "Me? I don't matter. You should have talked to Dean. He's the one who…" he trailed off as she reached for his face.

"Dean…" she whispered around more tears. Sam stiffened. Like his brother, Sam had inherited the Winchester line's broad shoulders, bowed legs and strong jaw from their father, but that was where their similarities ended. And yet, Baileigh obviously thought she was talking to Dean. He reached a hand out to her forehead and felt an incontestable fever. He cringed- he should have listened to the nurses.

"Baileigh, I'm Sam. Just hang on. Dean's coming." Baileigh's body seized with the force of another contraction. The medications weren't working. She shook her head and apologized again. "Baileigh," Sam said, trying to pull her attention back to him. _Where were all those annoying nurses now?_ "Hold on. You can do this."

She did not turn back. "I can't. I tried," she said starring at the ceiling. Her hands dropped from her belly and her head fell to the side. She looked at Sam through glossy eyes, "promise to take care of our family?" Her whisper was so soft he could barely hear her over the machines whirring at her back.

 _Where the hell was the Doctor?_ "Help!" he shouted running to the hallway.

"Promise me…"

"Help! I need a Doctor!"

"PLEASE!" Baileigh's scream was a plea that Sam couldn't ignore. Even as a nurse came around a corner and raced into the room, Sam couldn't resist her anymore. He knelt beside the bed and let her hold his hand. For a moment his other hand hung awkwardly at his side before he _really_ looked at Baileigh.

Baileigh was sick, in pain and dying. And in her last moments, if she needed him to be Dean, then that was the least he could do. His free hand rose to her forehead and brushed the hair from her eyes, as he imagined Dean would do. He remembered doing this for Jess when she'd had a fever- something sharp stabbed deep in his chest- he ignored it and focussed on Baileigh. He ran a thumb over her knuckles as she screamed in pain again.

When the pain subsided she continued her pleas, "Promise me." A nurse at his back was shoving around Sam but he would not move- Baileigh needed this- and he would do this for her, and for Dean.

"Please." Baileigh knew. She knew she was dying, and knew she was leaving Dean broken.

Sam nodded and caught a tear in the corner of his eye. Sam cleared a lump from his throat. "I promise."

Lying back Baileigh let out a long sigh and shook her head slowly as another tear slithered down her cheek, "Everyone says hi…" She went still as the beeping in the room turned to a steady, unsettling tone.

Someone pulled Sam back, as others rolled Baileigh's bed away, shouting codes he didn't hear over the blood pounding in his ears, as he yelled for her. "BAILEIGH!" He didn't know where the fight came from- if it came from trying to act like his brother, or if he was being himself, yelling for the sister he hadn't realized he didn't want to lose.

It took two nurses to restrain Sam as they rushed Baileigh from the room, but it wasn't until one of them threatened to sedate him that Sam stopped fighting and fell back into his chair. The room was now eerily quiet and looked far too big without the bed. Sam didn't know anyone had stayed in the room with him until a pair of white sneakers in green scrubs stepped in front of him and someone bent at the waist to be at eye level.

"Hey," said a soft voice. A middle-aged woman; a nurse with with her curly hair tied back, regarded at him with bright eyes. "They've gone to try to save the baby. If you'd like, I can take you to the waiting room outside the O R."

Sam nodded and let the nurse lead him away.


	26. Chapter 26- Final Answer?

The noise in the Sioux Falls Memorial Hospital Emergency Room went quiet when Crowley, Dean and Castiel burst through the doors looking like they had just survived another Apocalypse. Castiel had already healed Dean's broken arm- which the elder Winchester was flexing subconsciously as he looked around for any sign of Sam or Baileigh. Not finding either of them with a glance, Castiel walked up to the Triage Desk. "Have you seen a pregnant woman with a very tall man?" he asked, but the woman behind the desk didn't have time to reply. While she was consulting a clipboard, Dean pulled out his phone and called his brother. The phone barely finished the first ring before Sam picked up.

"What room are you in?" Dean's deep voice growled over the phone.

There was a pause before "I'm outside O.R two," Sam replied quietly.

All at once, Dean's world moved both incredibly fast and impossibly slow. He stuffed the phone in his jacket pocket and raced to the nearest diagram of the floor plan hanging on a wall. A broken red line on the laminate floor showed the way to the Operating Rooms. Dean followed the red line at a run through the hospital toward Operating Room 2. He didn't notice if any hospital staff tried to stop him -or if Castiel and Crowley had followed- and he didn't care.

Turning the last corner to the Operating Room hallway Dean saw Sam pacing back and forth and felt like he was going to be sick. He leaned against the nearest wall gasping for air, his lungs refusing to fill. He felt like a crushing weight was preventing his chest from expanding. He gasped and gagged as the severity of the situation hit him. _Baileigh was lying unconscious on a table beyond one of these sets of double doors, fighting for her life._ Sweat beaded around his collar and sent a shiver down his spine.

Hearing his brother's gasping retches Sam looked up and rushed to his side. "Dean,"

"Where… are… they…?" Dean asked gasping out each word afraid of the answer. His stomach heaved again and he braced himself against the wall and closed his eyes against the sting of Sam's next words.

"I heard something about an emergency cesarean." Sam sighed. "They're trying to save the baby."

"And Lee?" Dean forced the words from his mouth without bothering to brush the tears from his eyes. Dean noticed Sam's cheek twitch as he clenched his jaw and almost fell into his arms when his legs gave out. "Tell me," Dean demanded.

"When they got her to a room… she was in a bad way. They hooked her up to fluids and all kinds of medications to prevent labour," he trailed off but Dean wanted more so Sam continued, "she was delirious, hallucinating, talking to people who weren't there and, Dean, she thought I was you."

Dean turned from Sam and punched the nearest wall, "Dammit!" She'd needed him, and he wasn't there for her- again. He wanted to ask more; whether she'd said anything else to him, if she was in pain, but he was distracted by a group of Doctors in white coats and nurses in brightly coloured scrubs racing down the hallway toward them.

Sam jumped to his feet demanding to know what was happening. One nurse blocked his path as the others raced by, disappearing through the nearest set of double doors.

She pulled down her mask and gave Sam a sympathizing look. "They just called for more hands. I don't know anything yet." Her eyes flicked to Dean who looked battle worn and drained. "Do _you_ need help?" she asked. Dean shook his head 'no'.

"Just get us some answers. Please," Sam added sitting back beside his brother. The nurse replaced her mask over her nose and disappeared after her co-workers.

In the hallway outside the operating rooms there was nothing Sam could say to console his brother, so he didn't say or do anything, except sit beside him and wait. It was Sam who noticed Crowley standing beside them and wondered how long the demon had been there waiting with them.

Despite Crowley's aversion to quiet moments, it was Dean who broke the silence with a nod toward the operating room. "That's my family in there."

"Maybe not." Crowley finally piped up. He shrugged his shoulders as the brothers looked up at him unamused. Playing Devil's Advocate; as he enjoyed so much, Crowley reminded Dean that Baileigh's baby might belong to another lover- Dean had been absent from her life a long time. The King of Hell ignored the growl in Dean's throat as he continued, "It could be another bloke's problem. _His_ girl. _His_ baby. _His_ family." He waved off the daggers in Sam's eyes-if he'd been armed, Sam would have killed the King of Hell right there.

Beside him, Dean jumped up and yelled at Crowley an inch from his face- every trace of their bro-mance faded from memory. "The hell they are! I'm not worrying this much over someone else's family!"

"Final answer?" Crowley teased as the door to the O.R opened again.

A Doctor and a nurse came out of the O.R and turned to the Winchesters and Crowley. The nurse motioned to the Doctor, presenting the brothers. They both stood eager for news. Dean tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket in an effort to hide how badly they were shaking.

"Which one of you is the father?" The Doctor asked looking from Sam, to Dean, to Crowley. Dean took a step forward without hesitation; his hands shook harder in his pockets. The Doctor eyed Dean suspiciously for a moment before talking. "Your _wife_ ," he said, making an assumption, "suffered so much shock and trauma that she went into labour. The medications I prescribed couldn't stop it. It wasn't too early for her to deliver, but with her as weak and dehydrated as she was, she was unable to deliver naturally." The Doctor was trying not to blame Dean, but Dean felt the Doctor's eyes lingering over his filthy, bloody clothes- just like the ones Baileigh had been wearing. "Cesareans carry with them a number of risks- even for women in peak health. The chances of your wife surviving were already low. There were some complications during the procedure,"

Dean's heart clenched, his stomach seized and his hand searched for Sam's. He squeezed, begging his brother to ask the question that he couldn't. Understanding, Sam cut off the Doctor- his voice was steadier than he had expected, "And the baby?"

The Doctor sighed again. "He's fine."

Dean's shoulders drooped and he fell back into his seat dragging his hands across his face. _He's fine_. Sam sank into the chair beside his brother exhaling deeply. Beside them Crowley disappeared. "We rushed him to the N.I.C.U. for observation, but he's strong, almost full term," the Doctor continued but the Winchesters were no longer listening.

The nurse bent down in front of them and spoke softly. She placed a hand on each of their legs and tilted her head when they looked up at her. "Your friend was very brave." She smiled when Dean met her eyes. "She really gave us a scare in there, but she has one hell of a guardian angel looking out for her. She's still sedated, but I can take you to her room when you're ready."

Even Sam's head snapped up at her words. "She's alive?" he asked for both of them.

The nurse's eyes were glossy with tears as she nodded. "We had to restart her heart, but she came back. We'll be monitoring her very closely, but yes, she made it." The nurse led the Winchesters to a small private room. Through the window as they approached they saw Baileigh sleeping peacefully, as if she hadn't just survived escaping the monsters that had been hunting her for her whole life. Dean slowed as he entered the room taking in everything about her. He noticed her still-round belly under the blankets, the IVs in her arm, her rib cage- rising and falling, the red burns on her chest peeking out from under her hospital gown- proof that the Doctors had used a defibrillator to restart her heart- and finally her face, pink and relaxed- no sign of blood or bruising. She looked perfect. Even her sandy blonde hair had been pleated down the side of her neck.

The nurse noticed Dean's eyes lingering on the braid. "One of the other nurses noticed her braid came undone during surgery. I hope you don't mind that she fixed it for her." Dean shook his head and thanked her. He exhaled with relief, _Baileigh was alive_.

Sam led the nurse away. "We'll give you a moment." Sam didn't mean to lurk outside Baileigh's hospital room, he'd just wanted to check that his brother was going to be okay when he looked through the window as he passed. But what he saw made him stop. Dean hadn't even waited for the door to close before he collapsed against Baileigh's bed.

Dean was sitting in the chair beside the bed, his head face down on his arms beside Baileigh desperate for her touch as his shoulders shook with the overwhelming force of his relief. Sam waited and watched as Dean eventually composed himself and looked up to her unconscious face. One hand gripped hers, while the other held her head gently as he used a thumb to stroke her forehead. When Dean opened his mouth to speak to her, Sam turned away. He couldn't have heard his brother's whispers through the window, but even so, this moment was not meant for him. Instead, he found a quiet corner and made a phone call.

"Hey Jody, we got her." On the other end of the phone Jody let out a sigh of relief. "But she was in rough shape. We're at Sioux Falls Memorial. Baileigh's still sedated, Dean's with her now, but Sarah should probably be here."

"We'll be there in 10," Jody said hanging up the phone.

When he returned to Baileigh's room, Sam noticed a Doctor in a white coat lurking outside the door, staring through the window into the room. "Can I help you?" Sam asked. When the Doctor spun, Sam choked in surprise. "Cas?"

The angel nodded. "Did you know that if you wear one of these," he indicated the white coat, "you can go anywhere in the hospital, and no one will stop you?"

"What are you doing?"

"I found it… well… Crowley and I took it, so that I could get into Baileigh's surgery. And I've been searching for the man I took it from since I saved her."

"You did that?" Sam clapped Castiel on the back.

Castiel's face was blank and his voice as monotonous as ever, "Yes. There is a naked man in a closet somewhere in this hospital." Sam laughed for the first time that day, and pulled Castiel into a hug. That wasn't what he'd meant, but that answer would do. _Cas had saved Baileigh._

"Thank you."

"You are welcome. Now, I must go find the naked man before he wakes up."

Sam smirked and nodded. "Wait, you said Crowley helped you?"

"Apparently the King of Hell has a soft spot when it comes to children."

"Why?"

Castiel shrugged and walked off.

Inside the small hospital room, Sam half expected Dean to be squeezed onto the bed beside Baileigh when he came back, instead, he was exactly where Sam had left him, snoring softly. Sam pulled another chair up beside his brother and closed his eyes too. He did not sleep, but he tried to let the beeps in the room soothe him- he was exhausted. His eyes had been closed for less than a minute when a soft knock on the door made him look up.

The same nurse from earlier was smiling in at them. Sam shook Dean's shoulder and he woke up with a start. He nodded toward the door to direct Dean to the nurse. She whispered, "Want to come see your baby?" She smiled excitedly to Dean, who turned to Baileigh apprehensive.

"Go," Sam said, cutting off Dean's inner struggle. "I'll stay with her." Dean nodded his gratitude as Sam traded seats. He looked to the nurse determined and straightened his jacket; this kid, like Sarah, was _his_ until Baileigh told him otherwise.

 *****Baileigh*****

Dean was sitting up in bed beside Baileigh listening to her breathing, talking softly about cars, and bands, and her favourite movies, waiting for her eyes to open. The room was quiet except for his voice as he whispered close to Baileigh's ear. In the corner, Sam was sleeping quietly lounging between two chairs. Dean leaned back in his seat, continuing softly, "Jody and Alex took Cas to the cafeteria, so the room's nice and quiet at the moment. Now's a perfect time to wake up, but it's okay Lee, you take your time, I'll hold down the fort if you need to sleep a little longer." He chuckled to himself looking at Sam sleeping between two chairs- _how is he sleeping like that?_ "Sam's asleep in the corner," he continued, "he never leaves. I don't know what you said to him, but he took it seriously." He pulled his eyes away from Sam, and looked over to Sarah sleeping with her face pressed against her mother's arm on Baileigh's other side. "Sarah's here. She's fine," he paused when Baileigh tensed and blinked beside him. _Thank God!_ "I should have mentioned Sarah earlier," he joked, mostly to himself- and scolded himself for being stupid. "Lee," he spoke softly waiting for her eyes and head to clear, "don't worry if you can't move, Sarah and I have you pinned in bed pretty tight."

As Baileigh's eyes focussed she recognized the sights and sounds of a hospital and started to connect the dots. Dean watched as one of her hands moved across her now quiet belly. She turned from Dean as the tears gathered in her eyes and her chest started to heave. She started to cry as Dean called out to her, "Hey, hey, hey, Lee. It's okay." He wanted to reach out for her, but the way he was sitting he was pinned too, so he couldn't do more than call to her. "Lee, honey, it's okay. Look at me."

She didn't.

"Baileigh," he repeated stern, "look at me." Slow and reluctant she turned to see Dean squished onto the hospital beside her. She met his green eyes; they seemed to shimmer as he held her gaze and looked down, drawing her eyes with his, to a bundle of blue blankets he had pressed against his chest. Her excitement and surprise caused more tears to fall down her cheeks as Dean raised the little boy closer so that she could touch him. "You did it Lee. Everyone's safe and healthy." He placed the little boy securely in her arms and got ready to climb out of the bed to give her a moment with her kids when Baileigh relaxed, pressing all of her weight into his side.

"I missed you," she said tearing her eyes from the baby in her arms to look up at him. There was no thank you, apology or explanation needed, her eyes said it all.

Dean leaned softly back against her and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "He's amazing." His voice wavered, he could still barely believe she was okay. "You did it real good Lee."

She nodded still teary eyed, " _we_ did real good." He kissed her again.

Baileigh was still admiring the round face in her arms when Dean interrupted, "What do you want to call him?"

She smiled down at Sarah sleeping on her left, and looked up to Dean, "Well, he's a little brother now…" she trailed off but Dean understood.

"Ryan Samuel Wyatt," Dean whispered. The name rolled off his tongue easily. It was perfect. Dean's gaze flicked to movement in the corner -but Sam was still- asleep across the two chairs but Dean could have sworn that for a second he had seen Sam smile.

Jody, Alex and Castiel returned half an hour later with snacks for everyone; and a slice of pie for Dean, and the room went from silent and somber, to celebratory in an instant. Dean took baby Ryan in his arms to show him off as Jody moved across the room to wrap her old friend in a tight hug. Alex stayed close to Castiel keeping him in check, while Dean held the baby out for his brother.

"Want to hold your nephew?" he asked. Sam was shaking- either from nerves or excitement- and sat down to steady himself. He nodded and held out his arms. Ever vigilant mama Baileigh watched from the bed as Sam turned to jelly when the little body was placed in his arms. Dean clapped him on the shoulder before he noticed Crowley standing out in the hall leering through the window. "I'll be right back." He looked to Baileigh who nodded watching Sam and Ryan as he left.

"Crowley." Dean gave the demon a curt nod as the door to Baileigh's room closed.

"Dean." Crowley rocked back onto his heels.

"You came back?"

Crowley shrugged. "I had to check on the little tyke now didn't I?"

"Did you?" One of Dean's eyebrows raised uncertain. Crowley was up to something.

"Yes Dean, I did." Inside Ryan started crying. Crowley flashed Dean a trickster's grin, "So he's a chip off the old engine block I see."

"Why?" Dean snapped trying not to let the crying baby inside distract him.

"Had to make sure I didn't waste my day for nothing," said Crowley hands in his pockets. Dean watched the King of Hell, apprehensive. Crowley held up his hands to avoid a fight. "Look, you asked for my help, I helped. You should be presenting me with tokens of gratitude now."

"Cas says you _changed_ when you found out Baileigh was pregnant."

"So?"

"So what's the deal Crowley?"

"Can't the King of Hell have a soft spot?" Crowley pouted. Dean crossed his arms and the demon continued, "Haven't you ever noticed none of my demons attack or prey on children?"

"No," he thought about it, "Why?"

"Bad for business. My demons can't collect souls if no one's growing up to sell them." Crowley shrugged as Dean scoffed. "What? You asked."

"If you ever put my family in danger, I'll sink the first blade into another one of your soft spots," Dean threatened.

"Don't be ridiculous Dean, you need me on the throne. Kids have been fair game for every other King, _or Queen_ of Hell. Without me running things down there, your kidly-winks are demon fodder. Now, it's been fun, and, I do miss our chats, but I've got a Kingdom to run. Ta!" As the King of Hell disappeared in a cloud of red smoke, a familiar jingle of keys echoed through the hall. Dean waved the smoke away to reveal his old friend. Benny tossed the Impala's keys to Dean who grabbed them from midair.

"I couldn't leave you stranded here. What'd I miss brother?"

Dean wrapped Benny in a friendly hug and looked to the door to Baileigh's room, "Want to meet the rest of the family?"


	27. Chapter 27 Epilogue: Apple Pie-ish

Dean Winchester would have loved to say that he lived 'happily ever after' with Baileigh, Sarah and Ryan, retiring from hunting to live ' _a normal, apple pie life'_. But if there was one thing Dean had learned over the course of his life, it was that there is no 'happily ever after' for a Winchester.

Instead, his life was 'happily-every-so-often', whenever cases dried up and he had time to go home and visit his family. Sometimes, he made it back home for holidays or birthdays, occasionally, he'd be around for a hockey game or school concert- he never thought he'd be _that guy_ , racing from work to catch the last few minutes of a school concert. And on very rare occasions Dean even managed to squeeze in date nights, and when he was very, very lucky, even family road trips.

Knowing the life he left behind made going back to work harder with every job, but he and Baileigh agreed that his place in the world was on the road hunting with Sam- at least until Heaven and Hell were shut up tight. Sam tried to make life on the road easier: he often pretended to fall asleep on long drives so Dean could call home and catch up, and never complained when Dean needed to make a family related detour.

Dean Winchester never got down on one knee to offer Baileigh a ring, and never stood in front of a gathering of their friends and family to proclaim his love for her. In fact, Dean's family didn't even share his last name, but they were his and he was theirs. And if you met him on the road and asked him about his family over a pint, he'd raise his glass and say, "I'm one lucky son of a bitch."


End file.
